Deep Water
by sorcerousfang
Summary: A lake of forbidding water. It didn't seem like much at first, but it hid a terrible thing. That separates Rin and Sesshomaru, leaving the latter in no condition to search for her, and leaving Rin to wonder if he is even alive. R&R. rated teen to be safe.
1. Wrong Turn

**sorcerousfang: so, as my writer's block ensues on my other story (i.e. Beautiful Moon) a sudden idea hit me and I just started typing and well, presto; new story.**

**don't flame me please. I can't stand the whole fluffyxrin deal. I can't see them as anything more than father and daughter. I mean seriously; she's like 7, and he's nearly 500.**

**Anyway, so enjoy. I'm actually proud of the way it turned out, especially some of the explainations. also, I love to hear reviews. Please don't hesitate to tell me I need to update. Trust me, I need people to remind me. I mean, just look at BM. I haven't updated in months.**

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"Hurry up, Master Jaken!" hollered a young girl. Her orange and tan checkered kimono waved in the winded air as she ran.

Rin skipped ahead of him, faithfully following behind her lord as she always had, and as she had sworn to herself that she always would. A smile was plastered on her face yet again and her laugh echoed flawlessly through the trees. Of course she couldn't help but smile. As mean as Jaken was to her, she had fun playing with him, and being in Sesshomaru's presence was comforting enough.

"Will you wait, girl! This is not a race!"

Then again, maybe he was too slow for the young human girl.

Sesshomaru hid a smile. He found amusement in the young girl's antics and his servant's slight suffering of them. Not that he was that cruel, but Jaken was just funny when he was in pain. Why else would he step on him nearly every day, other than to vent his anger?

The girl had found him as he was recovering from his younger half-brother's first use of the Wind Scar. Actually, he wasn't sure now whether he had helped his brother learn the attack, or if it was merely that the hanyou was just that damn lucky. Either way, Rin hadn't shown much fear of him from the get-go, and he guessed it was because she was smart enough to notice that he wasn't much of a threat in the condition he was in at the time. Looking back at it now, he nearly laughed at the nerve she carried, even being mute and young, not to mention human, of course. Closing his eyes briefly, he could almost feel the surprising splash of water over his head that she had given him on that day. He mentally shook his head.

She hadn't changed too much from then, unless you count her excessive need to talk every ten to fifteen minutes verses the mute child she had been; she still had the same smile that lowered his level of pride enough to nearly smile back, the same eyes always filled with a mix of joy and sadness and care that melted the layer of ice he kept around his heart, and her laugh still caressed his soul like nothing he'd ever heard before, even enough that he actually slept a few nights when they stopped to rest. And peaceful nights they were.

There was a sudden growl behind him.

"Ummm… Lord Sesshomaru?"

All he needed to do was give her a small nod, nothing more, and she smiled and thanked him before taking off to find food.

That was another thing he liked about her; her simplicity. There was no need for long explanations with her, and the smallest interaction with him made her smile. He'd probably never admit it aloud, but she was like a daughter to him. She blew down all of his defenses with just a smile, and she made him feel like he had to protect her from everything that could possibly cause her harm.

He could finally sympathize with his father's love for that human woman that was Inuyasha's mother.

It made him jump when he first realized it; that his desire to protect the young human in front of him came from his dad, and that Inuyasha's love for the miko that traveled with him was not something that came from just his human mother. He denied it at first, but simply came to terms with it the next time Rin had smiled at him. Despite what other demons said, not to mention a few undead humans, she was no weakness. She was his greatest strength, and he could never find himself thinking of losing her warm smile.

But he would never thank Inuyasha for his luck, even if it was what caused him to meet Rin. He wouldn't drop his pride that much.

Rin walked around another tree in search of food. Mushrooms, berries, a stray animal; anything would do to hold her over until she could raid another field or they could stop for a while in front of a fire. She didn't want to hold back her lord more than was necessary, especially since their search for Naraku had suddenly led to a complete dead end recently. It was the only thing she could do to aid him in his quest, other than end up kidnapped by Kagura or someone else working for the demon.

She'd never personally met the demon before, or if she had she couldn't remember. She was always kept a fair distance from him; safe and out of danger. It made her feel a little unneeded at times, but those thoughts were always washed away when ever Sesshomaru came back for her. It made her realize that her purpose was to give him a reason to return or a place to come home to, even if it was just another spot in the woods or on a plain where she was told to wait.

He was her home, too.

She smiled as she rounded another set of trees and gasped in delight when she spotted berries, edible ones, dotting a bush in front of her. She tapped the thick bush with a stick in a few places before she determined it was safe to get the delicious fruits. Experience taught her that precaution was better than diving into anything, and although she hadn't yet been able to pick up on how to sense a demonic aura, she trained herself to be more alert of her surroundings for her lord's sake. There was no way she wanted to burden him.

After she picked enough berries to fill the basket she'd made in her kimono, she headed back in the direction she had come from. She'd picked enough for Jaken, too, guessing he might want a small handful of the ripe berries, as well as some for her lord, although he'd probably refuse them like every other food she'd offered him. Something about human food not suiting him or something. Her expression turned thoughtful as she continued on; what did he eat, anyway? He had to eat something once in a while.

As she stepped through the clearing, Jaken was the first to greet her.

"What took you so long, Rin?"

And the greeting was nothing new.

"I picked them as fast as possible, Master Jaken! I even got some for you. Here."

She held out a handful to the imp whose expression changed drastically.

"Oh. Thank you." He threw a small amount in his mouth and smiled. "Hey, these are good!"

Rin hummed. Of course they were. She picked the best ones.

She looked at her lord for a moment before offering him a handful, which he kindly declined as she had expected. She'd offer it to him anyway, though, even when she knew the answer because she was never sure when he might decide to try some.

Sesshomaru seemed to be becoming more kind toward her lately; when he spoke to her his voice was softer than before, and his eyes seemed to smile, even if his face did not. It made her smile. She understood full well that he was a demon of great power that normally would not stoop to kindness, or any other emotion, just for a mortal, so the changes he showed were huge in his case, not to mention astounding.

Sesshomaru waited a few minutes longer until Rin's abundance of berries became less of a burden on the young girl's kimono before he began walking again. He took some comfort in hearing their footsteps behind him. It was normal and expected; something that didn't come easy in their world, unless the constant human wars were counted in the normalcy.

The human quarrels had put him in action at times. Not so long ago they had come across a village in the process of being raided by brigands, and the scent of fear that radiated off of Rin compelled him to end it after he sent her and Jaken away; there was no need for her to watch him kill. Of course the detour sent him on a crash course with a band of monks after Rin had been kidnapped that nearly caused him to transform. It took more energy than he'd like to admit to stop the transformation and direct the unused energy behind him so he wouldn't harm her. Or the monks, too, he figured. There were other demons that needed to be dealt with, and he wasn't going to bother. That was their job, and after that number they would probably be a bit more experienced with the greater kind. Good luck to them.

He refused to transform in front of her, anyway. He feared, one of the only things he ever did, that if she witnessed him transform without understanding it or having someone explain to her that his humanoid form was a façade, she would become afraid of him. But he also didn't want her to know that the form she was so used to, the only one she'd known him as, was fake. He didn't want her to see him differently than she did now. In all actuality, though, it was probably he himself that didn't want to admit that his true form was a large, pristine white dog that could do nothing more than bark, bite, and pounce on whatever it deemed prey. He much preferred his sword. It was more refined and, for lack of a better term, elegant. It didn't make him feel quite so much like an animal. Inuyasha could fit the term, but not him.

Speaking (thinking?) of the hanyou…

During one of their many little quarrels he'd brought up the incident with the monks, surprising him to some degree. He hadn't picked up on his sibling's scent at all while he waited, contemplating a now silenced line of thought, and he didn't notice it afterward. He thought it might have been the fact that he was only paying attention to Rin at the time, until he overheard the young fox kit talking to the priestess about how he was lucky that it was the night of the new moon; he probably hadn't recognized his completely human scent.

He was aware of the half-demon's transformation on the moonless night. One of their first encounters with each other was on that night, and Izayoi put herself in front of him as a shield knowing his weakness. He wasn't going to kill him, of course. Not then. The hanyou was defenseless and weak, not the type of foe he would proceed to battle with. Although back then the thoughts of his father's death for them were still fresh in his mind, he would not stoop to the petty thoughts of revenge as an excuse.

But the woman, now that he thought about it, might have been what stopped him.

Though he did not know Rin, or even think about a companion then, the woman was much like her. Neither of them would let something harm the person they loved and cared for, and their eyes held more determination in them than most humans. Perhaps it was the result of their association with demons, but they were stronger in mind, and even he could not have stepped in and broken that strength. Those many years ago he would never have realized that, or admitted it, but must have noticed self-consciously because he did not harm either, and inadvertently saved them just with his presence the few times he appeared near the village.

Still, he did not know why he never noticed his brother's presence, or his companions for that matter.

Their fight that day was the usual sibling rivalry, or so the demon slayer stated. He actually got kicks from annoying them with their battles and constant quarreling, but he would never say that. It changed after Inuyasha questioned Rin's presence to a battle to prove his pride as a demon.

"_What's a demon like you doing with a human girl, huh?"_

His questioning lingered in his mind.

"_It's none of you're concern, Inuyasha."_

His answers, now that he thought about it, were very obviously to dodge the line. He was sure they had noticed, too, especially when he got a bit touchy.

"_Don't you think she belongs-"_

At that he had pinned him to a tree, dropping his sword and holding him by the neck, and was forcing back the urge to rip him to shreds with his teeth. He had no right to question where she belonged, and no right to bring up the line of thought he had silenced at her call. He had growled audibly, sending a course of fear through his brother's eyes, presumably of being crushed by massive paws.

"_Silence!"_

He was almost relieved Rin hadn't been there. After he calmed his aura, he retrieved his sword and walked off, leaving Inuyasha and his group questioning his motives and recovering from the shock of a near death experience, and leaving him to question just how much the girl had grown on him. He was surprised by his reactions just as much as the group was.

He glanced back and was met with a picture of Rin shoving the last few berries in her mouth and Jaken gawking even though his face was already stuffed with them. He turned back and let a small smile escape him, just for a moment. He was happy to have the two of them behind him, and he did not want to change that. Even though Rin was destined to grow up and probably fall in love (apparently her eyes were set somewhat on the demon slayer's brother), he wanted her to stay by him for as long as possible.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

He turned to her slightly, allowing question to hold in his eyes.

"What is it, Rin?"

"Umm, well, Rin was wondering if you wanted something?"

He paused in his steps, considering his thoughts had just been about that subject, and then continued on in thought.

"…I want nothing, Rin. I…have what I want right now."

Cue gasp from Jaken.

Jaken gasped on cue, probably understanding his hidden indication. Rin, oblivious to his meaning, just smiled and said okay, and that she just wanted to be sure if there was something she could do for him. Jaken kept silent after that. Sesshomaru smiled inwardly.

"_Just stay the way you are," _He thought.

./-/-/-/-/-/.

Rin smiled at her bundle of flowers as the sky steadily grew darker, shifting into dusk. She had been allowed to stop and pick them when they passed a large field, and her lord seemed content with sitting on the tree line and watching her. She was delighted that just picking flowers made him seem happy, and, as usual, she made him a small bouquet that she would have to carry around herself, because, well, what kind of demon carries around a bundle of flowers, right?

She made Jaken a ring of flowers, which he hastily took off and gave to Ah-Un when they took off again. Jaken wasn't very fond of flowers, although he seemed happy when she gave him something of the like. Ah-Un was always happy when he gave whatever she'd given to him to them, so they both benefited from his self-consciousness.

She admired the bouquet and walked alongside the two-headed dragon for a while, until she decided to skip ahead. She reached her lord and tried to match his steps. His strides were much longer, of course, so she had to rush a little bit to catch up every few steps.

Sesshomaru noticed her struggle and slowed his pace to assist her. Actually, he had been walking faster than usual for some reason. Whatever it was, he decided to be a little more cautious. If his instincts were kicking in, that probably meant something was waiting somewhere. Rin seemed to notice his caution somehow, because she glanced around and gripped the bundle she made for him a little tighter. He hoped his alertness wasn't that obvious, but then again she had ways of understanding him even when he didn't show anything.

They continued walking, reaching the edge of a lake. The edge was a small drop off, although the water seemed shallow at it. He relaxed a little; the restlessness in his veins had vanished.

Rin realized that Sesshomaru seemed more relaxed than he had just been and relaxed her grip on the flowers. She took pride in the fact that she could notice his little emotions from time to time, and she knew that it surprised him as well.

She noticed a small movement out of the corner of her eye and cocked her head in the direction of the lake. There wasn't a sign of what had moved from where she stood, so she inched closer to the water's edge and peered into the deep blue.

"_A frog, maybe?"_

There was nothing there.

"Rin, not so close."

Sesshomaru's voice grabbed her attention. It was kind of him to worry about her falling over the edge. She turned to him and smiled.

"Yes, My Lord!"

Sesshomaru gave her a small nod and a near smile. She was cute when she obeyed so easily.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. Petals of flowers and water droplets blurred his vision. Tentacles wrapped around the young form and lifted the girl from the ground. She screamed his name, and was suddenly cut off by water.

"Lord Sessh-!"

In the same split second, she disappeared into the murky depths.

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**sorcerousfang: hehe... okay you can kill me for the cliffhanger, BUT! Rin doesn't die. I'm not that cruel. HOWEVER! something does happen, and I won't tell you until I update! HA!**

**okay, anyway I'm sorry to leave you hanging...or drowning in this case. and I'm sorry that I can't see rin as fluffy's lover or whatever. father/daughter all the way for me. otherwise fluffy would kill me.**

**Sesshomaru: damn right I would.**

**sorcerousfang: see what I mean. He's touchy.**


	2. Unexpected

**sorcerousfang: boo. I don't own anything by the way. wish I did, though.**

**sesshomaru: hmm...**

**sorcerousfang: heh, he's actually interested. anyway, so I've been working on this the past few days. I've been sick; probably strep, but who knows with my family history. Anyway, so plz don't kill me for this. nobody dies.**

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Sesshomaru didn't think. He couldn't think. The only thing he could do was dive into the water after her, unaware of what he was saving her from. The water deafened his senses, and the absence of his left arm made swimming a little more difficult than it already was with his armor weighing him down. The water was murky and his sight had a hard time adjusting to the swaying motions of the currents around him. The monster that dragged his precious companion to the depths was out of sight.

Jaken ran back and forth on the bank, utterly confused and in panic. Rin was dragged underwater, his lord just dove in after her, and he was useless. The staff of two heads, which was fire based, would do no good for a demon that hid in the cover of the water. He could end up hurting his lord or Rin if he tried anything. In his mind he could imagine every possible thing that could go wrong, until he realized he wasn't thinking rationally, so he took a deep breath, only to choke on it as Sesshomaru resurfaced.

"L-Lord Sesshomaru!"

He stopped calling when he noticed Rin was absent and watched Sesshomaru disappear under the surface again.

Sesshomaru was cautious, that was why he took another breath before going deeper. Swinging a sword underwater was not a simple task, even for a demon as strong as he, and even though a demon could hold his breath much longer than a human could, there was such a thing as a limit, as much as he hated to admit it. A swift current hit him in the back and he turned around in time to catch a glimpse of the demon's appendage before it retreated into the darkness. He propelled himself after it.

The demon launched a series of the same motions in his direction, and the currents threw him off a little, but he was determined to remove his ward from its grasp as quickly as possible, and so he was not deterred. He sliced through an appendage, and the beast roared in agony and resent in a screech loud enough to make him recoil a little before it deadened. He caught sight of orange, and inwardly thanked her idea of a bright yukata. Another current came from his right and he barely dodged the limb that came after it. He used the current to kick off and gained enough speed to reach the demon's body.

The demon was huge. A large shell donned its back and tentacles, more than he could keep track off, sprang out from under it. Its luminescent eyes glared at him from below; a sign that it had indeed spotted him and was not just swinging wildly. Its large mouth, something he hadn't expected even considering its size, opened and revealed large fangs laced with underwater growth that coexisted with it, benefiting from the presence of something that could provide food easily for the miniscule life forms.

Food that could very well become his young ward.

He shook the mental image that followed from his head and swam toward the only orange he could make out, dodging tentacles faster with each one. He was learning quickly the movements of the sea-beast and in turn used that knowledge to his advantage. It cried out again as he sliced through another slimy arm, and he recoiled at the enhanced sound as it wound through his sensitive ears and gripped his senses for several seconds. As he recovered his left side collided with an enraged arm, shattering his armor and sending him toward another one. Somehow he managed to dodge the second. His unprotected side tingled with numbness and at first he thought it was just from the impact until his body began to tell him otherwise.

"_Poison…_"

His own venom wasn't reacting to the intruding toxin, which made him slightly nervous, an emotion he was not fond of feeling or recognizing.

Above him another extension waved, and he looked up in surprise to see what it held; Rin struggled in its grip, still holding her breath and fixing an attempted glare on the beast. He nearly thought it impossible, her being able to glare, that is, but he ignored the contradictions and swam toward her. He ignored the surprise and relief in her eyes (the girl thought he wouldn't come?) and braced himself for another strident roar as he severed the appendage that held her. Rin covered her ears as it roared. The beast's now limp arm released her in the absence of a mind to control it. He recovered her and kicked off of the flailing appendage, adding a burst of speed as he kicked them to the surface.

Rin was trying desperately to continue holding her breath, but it was beginning to become more difficult with each passing second. She was overcome with happiness that her lord had come to save her, when he could have very well left her. Not that she doubted him at all; he was amazing and she knew that she and he had a certain attachment to one another. She looked up at his face and clearly read the expression without complication, an ability that surprised her with its ease. He was determined and the need to protect flashed through his eyes. There was no hesitation, no second thoughts; just pure confidence in the ability to reach his goal.

But that wasn't the only thing that she could read.

His eyes were also laced with a trace of pain and nervousness that had nothing to do with his goal, and that made her gasp for air that wasn't there. She caught the hint of fear that played in his golden orbs a moment before she felt him give an extra solid kick to propel them to the surface faster. His focus turned to the dim light of fire just above the water. Just a bit further and they would break it.

Jaken, who had finally gotten smart and realized a purpose he was useful for, aimed his staff above the water and released a constant stream of flame. It gave light in the growing darkness, and he hoped it would help guide his lord to the surface.

Again, he was quickly surprised by the swiftness of his resurfacing. There was gasping and coughing from Rin as she tried to replenish her lungs with dry air and a slightly relieved look from Sesshomaru. After she was able to breathe, she turned and gripped his chest so he could regain the use of his arm. In a few strokes, they were at the edge of the water and he was able to lift her out of it and onto the dry bank. Rin proceeded to dry herself with the help of Jaken, who aimed his staff a little closer to her but far enough away that she wouldn't receive any burns.

Subconsciously, Sesshomaru gripped his side, attempting to restore the feeling in it, but to no avail. Instead, he only managed to move his hand away and for the first time notice the blood that now covered it. Rin and Jaken gave a noticeable gasp at his injury and Rin glanced at her yukata to find blood there as well, but he gave away no hints that it was much further than just a flesh wound. Rin looked at him with worry flashing in her chocolate eyes, and he began to shake his head to let her know it wasn't something to worry about, although his disheveled appearance would say otherwise. He did not have the chance to say a word of it, though, because the beast's appurtenances broke the surface and lashed out at them.

Sesshomaru withdrew Tokijin once again and fought off the limbs one by one. He launched himself out of the water and onto the bank, ordering Jaken to take Rin away from danger. He listened to her argue that she didn't want to leave him to fight, and Jaken managed to reassure her that he would be fine before ushering her and the two-headed dragon off into the bushes.

Rin took a nervous look behind her and watched his sword get knocked away from his hand. Jaken had reassured her that he would be fine, right?

"_Lord Sesshomaru, please be okay…"_

./-/-/-/-/-/.

Sesshomaru didn't peel his attention from the tentacles as his sword left his hand. He dodged them as they pounded the bank and the water, splashing him with particles of both elements. Tokijin was too far from him now. He quickly began to summon his whip…

…only to find his second means of attack would not respond at all.

An appendage nearly impaled him as his attention was diverted, knocking him into another which quickly responded to the presence by wrapping tightly around him. Being out of the water and with most of his senses returning to normal, he quickly picked up the scent of his own blood. The damn thing was poisoning him again. Whatever kind of poison it was, it had already successfully put his own venom out of commission. What it was doing now was just over kill.

His eyes bled pink a few moments before he gained control of his inner self, reminding himself that Rin was still within range of witnessing him. Apparently the beast deemed him a threat; Rin, although she did struggle against it profusely, did not have the scent of blood on her, indicating she had not been treated with a dose of the beast's venom. Inwardly he was relieved; one small dose would have killed her all too quickly. Now he just had to kill the beast to keep her out of that danger for good.

He tensed himself and ripped through the tentacle with sharp claws. The beast's scream was less effective on his ears when they were in separate elements. His landing faltered, though, and he ended up rolling away from another arm before being able to right himself. His left leg was numb; no feeling coursed through it. The poison was spreading.

"_Damn…"_

The thought was something only his brother would voice, he told himself. There was no need to let his enemy know that he was beginning to get the better of him, and he refused to admit to himself that that was the case. He swiftly dodged another one, backed up against a tree that seemed to appear out of nowhere, and ducked as a different one swung wildly at him, taking down the tree with it. Coming down on his left leg made him falter again, and he focused on landing on his right instead.

There was a rumbling and a large wave pulsed from the lake. Sesshomaru took the opportunity to retrieve Tokijin. The water creature surfaced, and he suddenly realized something that he didn't see before within the darkness of the depths.

The beast was much, much larger out of the water.

Although he had managed to sever what then seemed like more than half of its appendages, reality struck when the beast revealed a much larger number of them hidden beneath its shell. He took a cautious step back and readied his sword for the barrage of attacks he knew the beast would unleash. It roared and reared its head, making him tense and attempt to clear the shrill noise from his ears before being able to concentrate on the matter at hand.

He couldn't remember if he had ever had this much trouble with any battle before now. With his whole left side numb, and spreading steadily to his right, and the constant stream of attacks dished out to him, along with the shrieks that pierced his sensitive ears, he was becoming more tired than he could last remember. He gripped his sword a bit tighter and tackled the montage before him.

./-/-/-/-/-/.

Rin could hear the battle continue some distance behind her.

"Master Jaken, let's stop here, please."

Jaken looked at the girl like she was crazy.

"We can't, Rin! Lord Sesshomaru ordered me to take you away from there, and that means far away!"

His voice lost its edge when he noticed her pleading and worried eyes brim with withheld tears. She was just as worried as he was, perhaps even more because she was human. He reformed his words, a feat he'd begun to get used to, in an attempt to convince her that they had to keep going.

"Rin, Lord Sesshomaru doesn't want to put you in danger. Why do you think he rescued you?"

It wasn't working.

"Master Jaken, something's not right! I just know it! Lord Sesshomaru's hurt, and while he was taking me back up to the surface he looked nervous! I'm scared."

The tears spilled over in a stream that made him jump back. She was completely serious, and if his lord was nervous, something definitely was off. He turned to Ah-Un and tugged downward on its reigns signaling for it to remain where it was. It grumbled in discontent, but refrained from harshly nudging the imp in the backside. Orders were orders.

"Rin, stay here. I'll go help Lord Sesshomaru!"

Reluctantly she nodded her head, taking the reigns in her own hands. Secretly, she told herself that if he took too long she would go herself to offer assistance with the help of Ah-Un. Even if there was very little she could do, maybe her presence would encourage him to win, just like it seemed to do for Inuyasha and Kagome, or so it seemed, anyway.

Whether he admitted it or not, he did protect her from more things than she could count.

She watched Jaken scurry off in the opposite direction and nodded to herself.

"Everything will be alright," she half told herself. _"I hope…"_

./-/-/-/-/-/.

Sesshomaru concentrated his aura around the sword and let it all loose.

"Souryuuha!"

The blue lightning shot out toward the body, cutting through tentacles that were unfortunate enough to cross its path. The beast let out screams which Sesshomaru was now becoming certain were not of pain but as a means of disorienting him while it thought of a counter attack. His stance faltered, but he became more determined to make his attack work.

The bolts struck the shell, but didn't deal the damage he had meant for. The shell cracked a little, but not enough the expose the beast that was hidden beneath it. The surviving tentacles lashed out at him, and he managed to dodge and counter each one with some effort, slicing a few in half and making dents in the others that he didn't miss. His left leg landed wrong, and its numbed state caused him to collapse onto his knee.

Though the poison was spreading, he wasn't having trouble breathing or anything of the like. If it was meant to paralyze him, it wasn't doing what the beast thought it would do. It wasn't as effective as he first thought it was, and something of relief coursed through him.

A sudden call from the foliage distracted him.

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

Jaken stood there breathlessly, shocked to see his lord kneeling in what appeared to be exhaustion. He brandished his staff to show his willingness to help after a few seconds of bewilderment and held an unconvincing look of determination in his eyes.

Sesshomaru was not willing to accept any help, though. He wanted reassurance that Rin would be taken care of.

"Jaken, go bac-!"

An appendage plowed into him before he could finish the order and threw him across the clearing and into the trees near Jaken, bringing them down with each one he crashed into. He could hear Jaken call for him with surprise and worry. It wasn't like him to get hit with such an attack.

But it also wasn't like him to get distracted from battle.

Sesshomaru pushed himself up, eyes flashing red but retreating when he realized Rin was still too close. Jaken ran up to him, jumping over tree limbs and roots like he never had before. He stopped in shock when Sesshomaru stuck his sword down in the ground before flexing his hand. He couldn't understand the action.

He knew that Jaken didn't know what he was doing, or why, and he intended to keep that knowledge a secret to himself. The numbness was beginning to overtake his sword arm, and soon he would have difficulty keeping a grip on his sword. He glanced at Jaken who seemed like he was trying to understand his position and gave a small glare.

"I told you to take her away from here, not to come back when you deemed it fit."

Jaken threw himself into an immediate bow, repeating his unnecessary apology many times over. Sesshomaru grabbed his sword and walked around him and back to the battle. He was more determined to finish it now than before.

The beast roared with his returned presence, edging him on. With more force than he had used before, he summoned his aura, preparing another dragon strike. Tokijin sparked violently, and only after the beast decided to launch another series of attacks did he release his own. It cut through more tentacles and crashed down on its shell, breaking off a large portion of it. He dodged the flailing appendages; trying to be sure he had a tight grip on his sword.

./-/-/-/-/-/.

Rin mounted Ah-Un and patted the back of the dragons' heads before gently whipping the reigns. The two-headed dragon leaped up and soared past the tree tops, then turned back toward the battle zone. It wasn't like she'd never been in a battle before on the back of the dragon; she could count a few times. In the back of her mind she was reminded that Sesshomaru had saved her in the end each of those times, but shook it away. She hoped that he would forgive her for disobeying him and Jaken.

Unnatural lightning flashed in the distance, a reminder that the battle was still raging on. She was unsure whether that meant her lord was having difficulty dispatching the enemy or if it was just the final blow. She hoped for the latter as the beast screamed and she covered her ears. Ah-Un recoiled at the noise, but continued toward the direction the girl had directed it to go. She was kind to them, so they didn't mind doing things for her. They kicked off of the air at her command.

The closer she came, the more nervous she became. The beast's roars did not cease, which meant that her lord was still battling it. She couldn't remember a time when he had trouble with something. Sure, Naraku apparently got away every time they did battle, but the only time she had ever seen her lord injured was when she'd first met him in the forest outside of her adopted village. Truthfully, she was terrified. The nervousness she saw in his eyes before they reached the surface confirmed her beliefs that something was amiss with this battle.

They soon cleared the tree line that bordered the lake and Rin gasped. Sesshomaru was struggling with an arm that had encircled him, finally cut lose, and faltered his landing. Jaken flew past her, knocked away by a flailing appendage.

"Ah-Un!"

At her shout, the dragons' mouths sparked and shot out at an arm attempting to strike her lord. She knew he would be unhappy with her for coming back, but if she could help, she would. She could not just leave him.

Sesshomaru jumped away from another appendage and landed on another. He ran on it, aiming for the exposed body between the cracks on the shell. Now that Rin was here, there was no way the battle could drag on longer. If she was to be protected, then the danger had to be dealt with.

With surprising ease he reached the main body. He raised his sword and struck the beast, summoning as much of his aura as possible to create a dragon strike. The beast wailed in agony; its weak spot had been found. He breathed out his relief in a single breath until the beast flailed wildly. He grabbed his sword only to have it knocked away onto the bank and the same arm wrapped around him in a death grip. The beast was dying, and it intended to take him down with it.

He struggled to remove his arm from the grip, but with every tense of his muscles, the beast squeezed harder. When it became harder to breathe, he relaxed in an attempted to fake-out the enemy. He hated the maneuver, but if it worked, it worked. Suddenly he was surrounded by water again; the beast had dragged him under, but he was loose and able to slash through the tentacle with his claws. He couldn't feel a thing, though, and it took him a few seconds too late to notice the flailing arm heading for him.

The appendage collided headlong with his chest, making him lose the breath he held in his lungs. He gasped on the impact, taking in water that didn't belong. He turned to the surface and noticed the beast recoil and fold in on itself next to him. His eyes widened.

He saw a flash of white before everything went black.

* * *

**sorcerousfang: kaboom. yeah, so sorry about the cliffhanger (again). and it might take me a while to load the next chapter because I have to order a new power cord for my laptop. Mine's shorting out.**

**and again, sorry for those of you who love the whole fluffyxrin thing. I just can't stand that for some reason. cute, maybe, but he's definately more fatherly than loverly. ...is that a word?**

**well review and such. i'd like to know what you like/dislike. well, other than the fact I made him get hurt.**

**sesshomaru: grrr...**

**sorcerousfang: ...I get that enough from him.**


	3. Discovery

**disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. otherwise he and his brother alike would kill me**

**sorcerousfang: yo. sorry for the long wait. I should be updating faster now that I'm out of school for the summer. That also means BM gets updated too, and that's next in my list of things to do. well, sorry for my ranting. enjoy...and I'd perfer you didn't kill me for the situation I created.**

* * *

Small hands reached in the clear water with little hesitation and splashed the cool relief playfully over the face of their owner. The young form sighed heavily, taking in the peace and fresh air around him. His tail twitched with happiness and he fell back onto the crisp summer grass. The day was nice; it was too peaceful to leave. What person, demon or human, would want to return to fighting a seemingly unending battle?

Shippo heaved himself off of the ground and walked slowly along the riverside. He and the rest of the group had stayed in the village for a few days to help with demon problems. Although they never showed, the village was peaceful and very insistent that they all, including Inuyasha and himself, stay longer. Inuyasha said they had wasted too much time here and that "Naraku's not going to wait around for us," or something along those lines. As of now, Kagome was explaining to the villagers what was happening and Sango was teaching some of them how to use the tools and repellents she intended to leave behind to get rid of them were they ever to actually come.

He glanced over at the water and suddenly noticed a trace of crimson within the current. The kitsune grew cautious and followed the flow with his eyes, taking careful steps toward the line of tall grass along the edge of the water. He parted it slowly, but found nothing. What ever was bleeding was further up stream. Shippo attempted to swallow his fear and shake off his nervousness, and continued on.

He was scared of what he would find, but at the same time he was hopeful of his discovery. If he found the remnants of a demon's meal then they could stay longer, even if it would not be as peaceful as before. He jogged cautiously, glancing at the river every few paces. The red hue deepened as he continued, and he could feel his heart rate increase dramatically. The scent of blood filled his nose; demon blood.

"_Did the demon that was ravaging the village die?"_ he thought. Perhaps that was why they never had any problems. The demon causing troubles had died right before they'd gotten there to exterminate it. Lucky break as it might have been, a part of the fox's heart dropped at the missed chance of a longer stay.

"Wait a minute…that's totally selfish! I shouldn't be thinking like that; it's wrong!"

He pounded lightly on his head to rid himself of the egotistical thoughts. There was no way he could hope someone was dead just for his own benefit. The only person he could hope was dead was Naraku, or Inuyasha, given the circumstances of his poor head and smart mouth. He blamed the fact that he truly was a demon for such thoughts, and try as he might, demons tended to be self-centered. Well, most of them, anyway.

His inner turmoil ruptured when he tripped over something protruding out of the long grass by the riverside. He hadn't realized he had been walking while arguing with himself about what was right and what was wrong for his kind. He glanced back and realized what made him stumble was the demon's hand. As he reached out for it his heart pounded sharply in warning and his hand trembled. He withdrew it and picked up a conveniently placed stick. Using the stick, he probed the limp hand to make sure it wasn't going to lash out at him for no particular reason. The ivory limb never twitched.

Shippo watched it for a few more minutes before he discarded the stick and approached the dead weight. The hand was clawed and pale, certainly that of a demon's if the washed-out scent didn't give it away. The appendage was filled with cuts and scrapes that couldn't heal in the owner's condition and the twin magenta stripes on the wrist seemed dull and broken. When Shippo touched it, he found it too warm for even immortal skin, and realized it completely contrasted to what it should have felt.

He was suddenly wide-eyed and he looked back over the hand. He'd seen it somewhere before. Shippo moved around a rock to see the body of the demon. There was no way he could be right.

./-/-/-/-/-/-/.

Kagome bowed and turned toward the direction of the small hut they had been staying in on the outskirts of the village. She had begun to agree with Inuyasha that they should be moving on. She needed to return home for a while, and on their way to Kaede's village she wanted to visit Jinenji again. This time she told herself that she would have a present for him, and she would not let Inuyasha go through her bag along the way and end up eating it. In the back of her mind she kept a mental note to sit him if she caught him attempting to get near her backpack.

Not that she wasn't fond of the small village they were staying in now; all of the villagers were hospitable, even to the demons in their little group. The only reason they were on the outskirts of the village was because they intended to be at the front line when the demons came. Even though they never appeared, they had a nice time in the quaint village, and all of them intended to return if ever they were close by.

Sango joined her as she passed by, Kirara balancing on her shoulder with years of practice.

"Getting ready to go, Kagome?"

She nodded, a little saddened by the thought.

"Yeah. I'm going to make sure everything is all together, and that Inuyasha hasn't eaten Jinenji's present."

They laughed. Earlier Kagome had threatened to give away the last cup of ramen, and the stricken look on his face told them that he was serious about his love for the futuristic food. It all turned out hilarious, and in the end Shippo made a comment about it and Inuyasha chased him around the hut for about ten minutes before Kagome sat him. The little kitsune won that round, and he proceeded to make that quite clear while the hanyou was out of commission.

"Hey, Kagome?"

"What is it?"

Sango's gaze turned thoughtful before she continued.

"Do you think Shippo's become attached to this place? It sure seemed like he didn't want to leave earlier."

Kagome recalled when they had made the decision to leave. Shippo had seemed down afterward, and he'd gone off saying he was going to enjoy the peace. She couldn't blame him; being young and having to chase after some terrible demon for the better part of your childhood would probably make one miss the peacefulness of their life before. And Shippo was pretty mature for a kid, so peace would be a blessing.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Sango. Maybe we should go find him and let him know we'll come back sometime. That might make him happy."

Sango nodded.

As they approached the hut, something caught their attention. There was yelling in the direction of the river. They paused a few moments and stared at each other in question before they realized who it was.

"That's Shippo!" Kagome suddenly gasped.

"The demons must have shown up!"

Kagome ran into the hut and picked up her bow and quiver and Sango grabbed her hiraikotsu. They ran toward the river, speeding up with every step. The river wasn't too far from the village, but it seemed even further now that they had to get there in a hurry. Kagome knocked an arrow, preparing to fire on site. The only part of the rush that bothered her was that she could sense no demonic aura, even though Shippo's yelling had not ceased. Speaking of the kitsune, he wasn't running from where his voice pointed him out to be as he would if a swarm of demons had shown up. Something about the whole situation was amiss.

Sango lowered her hiraikotsu, sensing the same confusion Kagome was feeling. Her gaze turned to the river as it began to come up beside them, and she gasped, grabbing Kagome's attention.

"Kagome, there's blood in the river."

Kagome swallowed and nodded. Shippo wasn't in danger, she realized. Whatever he found scared him and caused him to scream.

A few moments later she spotted Shippo shaking and staring at a bend in the river. He noticed her footsteps and turned to her. When she stopped he jumped into her arms and she could feel the violent tremors overcoming his body. Her heart began to pound, sensing his fear. Inuyasha's concerned voice sounded some distance behind her, and she pulled Shippo into a tight embrace in an attempt to calm him.

"What happened, Shippo?" she questioned the young kit.

His voice shook as he answered.

"H-h-he's…I-I think he's…he's…"

He was unable to finish his response and instead pointed an unsteady hand to the grass at the edge of the river. Kagome looked in its direction and then at Sango, who in turn nodded and approached the indicated destination. She cautiously peered over the grass before her. Her face paled and she gasped.

"Oh my god…"

She turned to Kagome whose eyes widened. Shippo jumped from her arms and she ran over to the side of the river. She gasped as well, the word impossible escaped her lips, and she turned toward the direction Inuyasha was coming from. With a shaky and frantic voice she called out to him.

"Inuyasha, come quick!"

Inuyasha was already running when he heard her gasp. Miroku followed behind him as fast as possible, trying his best to keep pace with the hanyou. Kagome was removing her shoes and socks, and he realized she was going to go into the river.

"What is it, Kagome?" he asked her as he reached her.

She turned quickly to him, and his heart began to pound when their eyes met. She didn't have to say anything before he rushed over to the water and looked to discover what the source of the commotion was. It was suddenly quiet as he took a sharp intake of breath.

"Sesshomaru…?!"

He stared wide-eyed at the site. His brother just lay there, as if they weren't standing above him, tattered and derelict. Blood poured from his wounds in an unending flow and his body was covered with scratches and bruises that should never have scorned him. His armor had been broken away, revealing the gash on his left side and making him seem much smaller than his normal appearance let on. His face was too relaxed for all the wounds he bore, and Inuyasha could feel the heat of a fever radiate off of him. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. No one was able to comprehend what had happened to the inu-youkai.

"What the hell…?"

Inuyasha finally found his voice again, clenching a fist to make certain it was no dream or trick of his mind, and with an almost natural ease began to give orders as he waded in beside Kagome.

"Kagome, go get some bandages ready. Miroku," the monk shifted his attention from the unbelievable site to the commanding voice of his friend, "try to find some clean water. It can't have any blood in it."

Miroku nodded and darted off toward the village. There was a well there; it must have some water in it at least.

"Sango, I need you to tell the villagers that we will be staying longer." He paused and looked over his brother again, then added with obvious pain in his voice, "Much longer." She nodded in response and followed Miroku to the village.

"Inuyasha…"

He turned his wide gaze to Kagome for a moment before returning it to his brother.

"He'll be okay, Inuyasha. I promise."

When he didn't answer she put a reassuring hand on his back, surprised by her own calmness. As much as he seemed to hate his brother, she knew that somewhere deep in his heart he never wanted to see him dead. Sesshomaru was the last of his family alive; a part of him held onto that fact like it was porcelain. He cared for his brother, probably looked up to his strength as a full-fledged demon, and seeing him so broken and beaten must have torn him up inside. She moved her hand in small circles on his back for a few short moments before she picked up her shoes and socks and headed back to the hut.

Inuyasha shook off the better part of his shock and carefully moved his hands under the limp form before him. He glanced beside him and noticed Shippo staring wide-eyed at him.

"What are you just standing there for; go help!"

He saw the alarm course over him and quickly regretted his tone as he turned tail and ran. Inuyasha couldn't help it though; unusual feelings and the suppression of his rage made it hard to keep calm. It took everything he had to keep from frantically trying to get his brother to do something to let him know he was alive and even more to keep from running off to try to find whatever creature had enough strength and ability to even make a scratch on him. He returned his focus to the more important matter and swallowed his urge to rush. If he rushed, he risked messing up and losing him. His hands shook at the thought.

With careful movements he eased his brother out of the water and onto the dry grass where it would be easier to distinguish one scent from another. He drew his hands back and was not surprised to find blood on each of them. There were so many wounds on the body before him he wasn't sure where they would start. The fever scent filled his nose almost as much as the blood and he suspected he was poisoned with something, though the scenario seemed unlikely. His own poison should have countered it; from what Kagome had explained some time ago, when the band of seven had been resurrected, even Mukotsu's poison had no effect on him.

Inuyasha proceeded to lift him over his back. He wasn't light, and the added weight of the water did not help any, so he had some difficulty doing so gently. The situation felt highly unusual to him. He never would have foreseen any sort of event where he would have to help him at all. It wouldn't surprise him if he did not appreciate any of the help he would evidently give him. He shifted his weight and grabbed the empty left sleeve of his brother's kimono to steady him, making his heart lurch more than before. Somewhere in his mind he pondered on the difference it would have made on the outcome of the battle if he had never cut off his arm.

When he was sure he was completely steady he began to walk toward the shelter of the hut where Kagome would be waiting to dress the worst of his wounds. His steps were cautious and well-placed; he didn't want to jerk him around. He could hear his ragged breathing, however faint it was, now that he was so close. It was almost unbearable to have him on his back because of his high fever. The heat radiated off of him in constant waves and beads of sweat formed at the hanyou's brow just from the contact. By the time he'd reach the hut, surely he would be soaked with sweat, water, and blood.

"Just hang on, Sesshomaru. I won't let you die like this."

There was a slight moan in response, and Inuyasha's ears twitched with a sense of relief. There was at least a small response. It seemed like he was aware someone was there to offer help and he realized he was in no condition to refuse. He quickened his pace a little; they were halfway there.

Inuyasha proceeded to think of something else to say. If Sesshomaru was aware of him, unconsciously or otherwise, then he had to think of something, anything, to make the situation less awkward. He didn't want to say something stupid because if the demon remembered it he would surely find a way to use it against him when he recovered.

"_If he recovers…"_

He shook the stray thought from his head, however true it could end up being. He was suddenly more aware of his labored breathing, the heat of his fever, and the scent of blood that came from every unhealed wound on his body. He glanced around quickly to see if he could spot the poisonous wasps Naraku kept around, just in case he was the origin of his brother's condition. Not even Naraku, though, could have done something like this. Whatever attacked his brother made the proud and calm demon rush. The hanyou they were both after for their own reasons, or even himself for that matter, could not have pushed him that far.

"Damn it, Sesshomaru. What in hell could have done this to you?"

There was no response this time, and Inuyasha hoped it was because it required an explanation and not just an acknowledgement that he understood what he said. He felt his breath disappear for a moment and was unable to breathe himself until it returned. His pace increased again with the renewed sense of urgency in his mind. He blinked drops of sweat from his eyes and concentrated on the hut just ahead.

His breath hitched when his ears picked up a small mumble from the limp form on his back.

"…What?" he questioned after a small moment of nothing.

"…Rin…"

He stopped and turned his head as much as he was allowed, trying to see his brother's face. His eyes were closed but his mouth was slightly agape and trying to form words. The pain in his eyes increased when the hanyou watched him struggle to simply speak. There was something else he wanted to say, or needed to, and Inuyasha strained his ears to catch his lexis so he would not have to toil to repeat them again.

"…Find…Rin…"

"_The girl!"_

"…Rin-"

"We'll find her, Sesshomaru," he interrupted, preventing him from anymore speaking. "She'll be fine, I promise."

After he spoke Sesshomaru relaxed even more than he thought was possible. The girl's safety worried him, even unconsciously and in his condition.

"_He must have been protecting her from something, but what could have done this?"_

He resumed his steps and Sango approached him. They didn't speak, but somehow they understood each other's thoughts as Inuyasha nodded and she walked in before him, holding back the thatch that covered the door so he could enter with ease. Kagome had everything she could think of laid out beside her, and a small bed was created out of her spare sleeping bag, opened fully to cover the hard wood floor of the gently used hut. She stood when Inuyasha gestured to ease him down and she and Sango flanked the unconscious demon's sides. Together they supported his weight and with great care rested him on the blanket. Kagome proceeded to remove his haori and the water-logged fur, uncovering the many wounds and abrasions on his upper body.

Miroku walked in with the water, and Shippo followed behind him. The kitsune watched as Kagome looked over the cuts on the body of the demon before her, and he approached with caution. Miroku placed the water beside her, draping a rag over the edge for quick use when it was needed. He remained quiet and concentrated on watching to dog's breathing, ready to indicate a sudden change that could mean the worst.

Sango kneeled next to the priestess and followed her eyes.

"Sango, does this look a puncture wound?"

The demon slayer nodded gravely and confirmed Inuyasha's earlier thoughts. "It looks like something's poisoned him."

Kagome rushed around to the other side of the demon and gently moved his arm away from his body so she could examine it. Her eyes narrowed in sympathy and near disbelief at her findings.

"Many times over. These wounds are everywhere, not to mention the scratches made by him ripping them away so roughly. And these," she paused and pointed to a few ring-like bruises on his chest, "look like suction marks. He was fighting something in the water, maybe an octopus-like demon, with a very hard shell."

She picked up a small piece of said shell that was tangled in his hair and passed it to Sango. She attempted to break it, but couldn't complete the task.

"This is one durable shell. I doubt even Inuyasha could break it."

Inuyasha was more focused on Kagome's words rather than Sango's question of his strength. He was surprised by the priestess' deductions from a few wounds, and from what the cataleptic demon managed to say, he could practically put together everything that had happened. She never made inferences like that before, although there was never such a need for them previously. He pinned it on the situation; before now, it hadn't really mattered what had happened, just that they heal it. Now they had to know what caused it to heal it.

Kagome stood and returned to the other side of the demon lord and gathered up gauze, herbs, and a washcloth. She turned to Shippo and smiled slightly before beckoning him over.

"Shippo, could you take care of the water? I need you to wet this down and put it across his forehead. It should help a little with his fever."

Shippo nodded and quickly drenched the cloth, placing it over the crescent moon on his temple.

"He's probably lucky to have been in the water, otherwise his fever would be much worse."

She proceeded to clean the worst wound they could see; the large gash on his left side still spilling blood. She used a small amount of the anesthetic Kaede had taught her how to make before she gently rubbed away the dead skin and possible bacteria that could infect the wound. When the demon's breath caught and his face illustrated that he was in pain, she paused in her responsibility and waited with some apprehension for the look to recede.

Inuyasha stared at the floor. Seeing his brother in pain made his stomach flip and churn, his head spin like mad, and his body numb. He'd hurt him before, that he didn't deny, but seeing the man who never showed any signs of weakness or pain in all the times they had met suddenly so close to death's door threw him and his world out of balance. He felt like he was dreaming, his head swimming in a sea of illusions that would suddenly disappear the moment he woke up, but if the sight of his brother's battered body hadn't shocked him out of his sleep, then the nightmare was truly a reality gone completely wrong. His heart pounded as he made his conscience aware of the truth.

"_Myoga, this would be a perfect time for you to show up…"_

He held his arm out, watching the water drip off of the sleeve of his haori in a trance-like state. Everything seemed to disappear around him, save for a few images that weren't his own. Lightning flashed in his detached world, dim against the unending white background. Water licked at his feet in a taunting approach and it raised his ire enough to make him want to dig his claws in the insubstantial substance. Both disappeared, and sobbing echoed around him in their place. He spun around and found the form of a young child behind him and suddenly remembered he had a promise to uphold. He blinked away the illusions and lowered his arm again.

"Hey Miroku, Sango, I need a favor."

The two turned their heads to him and he moved away from the wall with a solemn look in his eyes. He took a small breath, waited as Sesshomaru made another small grunt of pain, and then let his features relax.

"On our way here, Sesshomaru said the name of the girl that travels with him, Rin. He wants us to find her and make sure she's safe."

Miroku nodded, surprise written on his face as clearly as Sesshomaru's wounds decorated his body. "Do you think he was protecting her when he got hurt?"

"That's what I assume. He…relaxed a bit when I told him we'd find her."

Sango looked at him sympathetically. She, along with everyone else, sensed his inner turmoil. Images of her brother played in her mind, and although their relationship was much better than the two dogs, she was able to imagine to situation he was in to some degree of accuracy.

Miroku, Sango, and Kirara began to leave soon after gathering some supplies for the search, including Kagome's spare flashlight. As they walked away, Inuyasha followed them out, leaving one last request with them.

"If you come across Myoga out there, send him our way."

They nodded, and he turned back to the hut.

When he reentered, Kagome was wiping a wet cloth across the demon's chest with a somewhat desperate look crossing her eyes. His labored breathing has become more apparent, as well as the pain from his massive amount of wounds, and Shippo held great uncertainty in his eyes. Inuyasha realized water and gauze wouldn't calm his fever, and he worried how much worse he could get.

His eyes locked with Shippo's for a few moments before the kitsune shied away from him with nervousness.

"Hey, Shippo."

The young fox jumped at the marred tone of his voice and looked back at him to find the same pain in his eyes.

"Sorry I yelled earlier, and…thanks for finding him. If it wasn't for you he'd still be…"

His voice dropped off, unable to finish the sentence as if it would curse the outcome of the days, maybe weeks, to come. Kagome looked at him sympathetically, feeling the pain rise with every word he said and every word he couldn't. She herself couldn't bear to think what might have happened if they hadn't found him. The villagers would have taken him as a threat, unconscious or not, had they found him in their stead, and as he was now, killing him wouldn't have taken much. Inuyasha would have been devastated if he found out how close he was to saving him, and instead had just walked away. She shook the scenario out of her head, returning her focus to the way things had turned out.

Sesshomaru's breathing faltered, and she abandoned the wet cloth for the numbing solution on her left. He was hard to work with; touching his skin was like touching hot metal, not to mention her slight embarrassment. She fond herself wanting to dump ice on him so she could work and distantly regretted cleaning out her backpack the last time she had returned home for she had discarded the pair of gloves she'd kept for some odd reason. At the very least they would have prevented her hands from feeling like the skin was being seared off.

"Inuyasha," she suddenly addressed him.

He looked at her, seeming oddly confused in an unnatural manner.

"…Yeah?"

"Water's not going to bring down his fever. He's almost too searing for me to touch. We need an antidote. Jinenji's village isn't too far from here, maybe two days there and back if you keep walking through the night. Shippo," she absently addressed him and he turned his attention to her, "can you hold this for me?"

She left him to it and pulled out a sheet of mockingly cheerful note paper. She searched through her bag for a few minutes before she was able to withdraw the pencil that had fallen to the bottom and she proceeded to write down the details of his fever and what she presumed had caused it. In the back of her mind she hoped they could understand the writing from her time, considering it had changed somewhat over the years.

"This says everything they need to know. If they can't read it, then describe what his symptoms are like and what we think the demon might be that poisoned him. Let them know that it was able to render the natural venom found in you're family's blood line useless. She's been around the block, so she'd probably have heard something about it. And take this with you."

She handed him the piece of shell she had pulled from his brother's disheveled hair before she had started bandaging his worst wound, along with the pink note paper. He took them almost absently, and she guessed he was shocked and scared to the point of being dazed with disbelief. Their battles had started long before she had been dragged down the well by Mistress Centipede, so she wasn't completely sure of how their relationship had started, but however meager it was, she could see now how much Inuyasha looked up to him and his strength in place of a father he didn't remember. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and he looked her in the eyes with a horribly pained glaze.

She was suddenly wrapped tightly in his arms, a gesture that caught her completely off guard. She didn't speak, though, because she feared losing the moment and breaking him. Swathed in his arms she could feel just how frightened he was by reading his heartbeat. The hanyou was afraid of change, of losing something constant in his life, and losing the last part of his blood family. Somehow she could feel in his heart his sudden yearning to fight with him, to have a normal confrontation like none of this was happening. She knew he wanted to yell or cry, and yet everything that he was denied him that. She found her arms moving to encircle him and trailed one gently down his back.

Inuyasha caught himself off guard by his own action, but he was suddenly able to organize his emotions and thoughts. He longed to clash swords with him, if only to return a sense of normalcy to his world. As her hand ran down his back a chill waved through him, numbing his thoughts. When the sensation passed he focused on his task.

"I'll be back tomorrow," he stated with soft confidence in her hair before he released her.

Kagome took a couple of steps back in order to look at him fully. The air about him changed and a slight remnant of the usual spark in his eyes flickered. She smiled and nodded, urging him to start his journey in order to return in the promised time.

Inuyasha nodded back to her, then with a sudden flicker of nervousness turned to his brother and watched his breathing for a few moments before leaving them with a request they were already preparing to see to.

"Just make sure he doesn't die."

After that she watched him bound off faster than she had ever seen him do and within seconds he was out of sight. Quickly she returned to his brother's side, ran a newly drenched cloth over his wounds, and returned to the work that would probably keep her up a good part of the night. Her eyes softened as his breathing seemed to relax a little with the coolness of the rag, but it didn't last as long as she hoped. Shippo soon took over the task and she returned to his wounds.

"_Hurry, Inuyasha. He won't last long like this."_

* * *

**sorcerousfang: interstingly enough, my heart was racing writing the first part of this chapter. and I hope that this doesn't sound sick, but I'm kinda hoping I got that kind of reaction from you guys, if only for a moment.**

**and yes, this is not meant to be a horrible cliffhanger. still a cliffhanger, but not a big one.**

**_crash_**

**sorcerousfang: hang on a sec...I am not lowering this shield, Sesshomaru!**

**sesshomaru: You will lower it, or I will destroy everything in this stupid place!**

**_poof_**

**sorcerousfang: I can always create a second one!**

**sesshomaru: damn it!**

**sorcerousfang: sigh...I have to go tell him what going to happen before he destroys my fanfic hole. see you next chapter!**


	4. Piecing It Together

**Disclaimer: I'm not Takahashi-sama, so, no, I do not own Inuyasha.**

**sorcerousfang: again I lied. the wait was long... anywho, I hope my precious followers have not abandoned me for something funny and over-commented. I'm still working here! I promise! I'm just taking longer than I had anticipated. -bows- please forgive me!**

**Sesshomaru: no.**

**sorcerousfang: not you, fluffy. them. the readers.**

* * *

The trees swayed with the oncoming of the cool night air and the rush of wind it brought with it. It seemed quiet and peaceful, save for the animals bunkering up for the night and the rustle of the tree limbs in the stirred air. A flash of red and white blurred through the growth, gaining speed with each leap and bound. The creature's powerful legs pushed it off of the ground and high into the air, far above the line of forestry on the horizon. The descending sun silhouetted its body, its radiating glow fiercely brightening the golden eyes that were already heated with determination and fear.

He growled at the sardonic stillness around him. His heart howled at everything that didn't know his turmoil and the urgency of his errand. Inside he felt like everyone should know, like everyone should be in the same rush he was. It was in no way fair to him, and not him as in he himself, but him as in the man he left behind miles back. Immediately after his feet hit the ground, his legs bent and launched him further along. He would not stop to rest, to breathe. Not until he was there and back and the deed was done. Not until then.

Inuyasha ran faster than he ever had before. He had to make it back by this time tomorrow; otherwise his brother might never make it. In no way before had he felt such feelings toward his sibling, and the change scared him. The sudden realization of how much of an effect his brother's life had on his made his determination grow to such a high measure that it stunned him with the knowledge that it existed in him, but he brushed off the sudden on come of feelings. The new sentiment fueled him and made him speed up, and at the moment that was all that mattered. He'd worry about his emotions when he was recovering for certain.

He glided through the trees and into an open field where he landed and just plain ran, becoming a blur of sharp crimson against the darkening sky.

"_Don't you dare die on me…"_

./-/-/-/-/-/.

"I need two of your strongest men. Please, I can't dress his wounds on my own."

Or so she had said. Kagome had assured the two men that it was safe to help and that Sesshomaru couldn't do anything to them even if he wanted to, but here they were frightened by an immobile demon like a couple of scared children. And here they said they were strong. But she ushered them in with urgency, knowing that she had to help pass at least one danger that he was in, because looming in the forefront of her mind was the obvious fact that without this help he would die. She knew he could not survive the onslaught of his injuries and the poisoning at the same time for much longer.

She had also warned the men that he would be very hot, considering a fever on demon terms seemed to be much worst than a normal human one, and that only made them squirm more.

"Ye are sure he won't kill us?"

She rolled her eyes, her weariness catching up with her.

"Does he look like he could do something to you? He's laying here dying and you guys are all talk! Hurry up and help!"

And that's where she found herself now; tired, irritated, and having to constantly reassure two surprisingly girly men that claimed to be the strongest in the lands that he was obviously no threat to them. Like hell they were.

She wiped the sweat off of her brow and wound another layer of gauze over Sesshomaru's chest with the help of the men. In the back of her mind she wished Inuyasha had never left. She was nervous in his brother's presence, especially now since his life was practically in her hands until he returned. And he could have been a much better help than the two before her.

His face contorted in pain, and her concentration broke once more. Her mind wasn't used to seeing the usually stoic and calm demon express his pain so openly. She motioned for the men to lower him carefully, and they did so in fear of her earlier display of feminine wrath. She ran a wet cloth over the rest of his chest and along his arm until his expression relaxed. Although his labored breathing remained, she was able to recognize that it was only caused by his fever. They repeated the process again after the men's hands were cooled.

After repeating the routine almost seven times, she sent the men away, reminding them that she would call upon them again to help when the bandages would need changing. Shippo replaced the cloth on the demon's forehead now that they were done moving him. Silently he hoped they hadn't circulated the poison too much with all of the lifting they had to do to cover his wounds. He glanced at his chest; his breathing had not changed. Although it was a great sign, it was also poor in the same respect. He wasn't sure how long it would take for his wounds to begin to heal, but when it happened, he hoped his breathing wouldn't sound so unforgiving.

Kagome placed the cloth beside her and yawned. Her stomach grumbled in turn and she heaved an exasperated sigh. She'd been so wrapped up in helping him that she had completely forgotten about dinner, not to mention lunch. Her limbs were sore though, and she really wasn't in the mood to cook something. She turned to her bag to fetch a small snack from the large pocket, when suddenly the thatch opened vigilantly.

A young boy was standing in the doorway. In his hands he carried a large bowl, and the warm scent of its contents quickly filled the hut. His eyes searched the interior carefully and his gazed lingered on Sesshomaru for a few moments before he cautiously stepped in.

"My mom asked me to bring this to you. She was worried you hadn't eaten with all the sudden commotion going on."

"_Saved," _was the first thought that came to Kagome's head with his words. She stood and walked over to him, smiling gratefully at the free meal. She inwardly thanked the boy's mother for her kindness as she took the bowl from his hands, reminding herself that she would have to visit when things were a bit calmer.

"Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to us."

The boy nodded and Kagome watched his eyes shift again to the demon on his left.

"…Why are you helping him?"

Kagome's heart pounded, unsure of how to answer. Of course she knew why they were helping him; Inuyasha, in a sense, needed him. Thoughts of their battles ran quickly over that fact as if trying to contradict it. If anything, they proved he had no liking for his younger sibling. After a brief moment of silence, she answered with the first valid thought that surfaced in her mind.

"He's a friend of ours."

It wasn't exactly true, considering the siblings never got along, but they did have a common goal. Aside from their constant bickering and attempts on each other's life, the two brothers could work well together, if only by pure accident. Part of her, though, said neither Inuyasha nor Sesshomaru would approve of their shared blood being known of throughout the village, which prevented her from stating that very fact. She figured the villagers could guess that for themselves.

The child nodded in understanding, never peeling his eyes away from the form. Kagome followed his gaze, noting for the third time that day that his breathing was no better than when they found him, and that the bandages seemed to already be soaked with blood. They would need changing sooner than she expected.

"Will he survive?"

The boy's words broke her from her thoughts. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes softened. It took her a long time to come up with an answer.

"…He should. He's stronger than most demons."

She hoped to God she was right.

The boy nodded again and finally looked at her. Her gaze was locked on the demon's wounds, and the look in her eyes made the young child doubt her words. He could see her own qualm reflect fiercely in her chocolate orbs.

He decided against questioning where the rest of her companions had gone off to, although it was wondered throughout the village if she was the only one willing to help the demon. It was already confirmed by a witness that he wasn't one of the ones attacking the village, and the woman before him had said he wouldn't have a reason to anyway, so no one objected to letting them care for the man in the safety of the small hut so long as he didn't decide he suddenly didn't like the village.

When Kagome looked back at him her eyes were filled with a mix of pain and happiness; pain for his condition, happiness for the food.

"Thank you again. We'll come by and thank your mother as well when he's out of danger. I'm Kagome, by the way."

The young child bowed. "My name is Kyojin. When you do visit, ours is the first hut next to the rice field."

He showed with his hands the positioning of everything, although only known to Kagome she already had the village laid out in her head. She thanked him and watched him cross the large expanse between his hut and theirs until he was safely within the village perimeter. After she deemed him safe she reentered to find Shippo sniffing the bowl in delight.

"Hold on a minute, Shippo, I'll pour some for you," she said quickly before he could dip his paws in the dish.

He nodded and waited as she pulled a cup out of her bag and poured him a generous amount of the soup, saving the rest for herself. Before diving in to her own portion of the food, she knelt beside Sesshomaru and replenished the water in the cloth over his head and ran another over the exposed areas of his chest and neck. The man was as hot as the fire in the center of the hut, if not warmer. Before she had considered building the fire up so he could sweat out the fever, but she feared passing out herself from the heat and that it would do nothing until he had an antidote in his system. For now, cooling him with rags and aiding him with his wounds was the most she could do for him until Inuyasha returned.

She stretched her sore limbs when she moved back over to Shippo, letting the blood flow back through them. She finally took the bowl to her lips and hummed with its amazing taste.

"Oh, that hits the spot. What do you think, Shippo?"

Shippo echoed her hum in agreement.

The young fox kit finished his meal first and relaxed against Kagome's sleeping bag. His eyes wandered over to Sesshomaru as he waited, almost as a reflex. The dog demon's bandaged body was a sharp contrast to the intimidating man he was when they encountered him on normal occasions where Inuyasha would proceed to verbally and physically fight his older brother. It was unbelievable, and yet Shippo felt as if it was expected for some reason he couldn't quite dig up from his mind.

Kagome set the bowl in front of her, its contents emptied into her now silent stomach. Sleep now tugged at her muscles and mind and she fought against it knowing her duty was not yet complete for the night.

Shippo inadvertently drew her from the fog of slumber when he raised his question.

"How is he, Kagome?"

Despite her body's want of rest, she clearly caught the worried undertone in the young demon's voice. He wasn't just worried for the demon; he was worried for everyone his sudden condition would affect.

"He'll be better once Inuyasha comes back…_if he makes it that far…_"

She shook her head of the thought that entered her mind before she continued.

"He's been poisoned with far more than whatever attacked him needed to use. There's bruising on his chest that isn't from the suction cups, and it feel's like he might have a few broken ribs if that's even possible with him. The lacerations, that's cuts," she added when the fox's head tilted in question, "are mostly from his tearing away of the barbs, but there were some with wood splinters embedded in them, so I think he was thrown into trees sometime during the battle. And I don't know how, but there are some burn marks, like something exploded near him. I think he got caught up in the blast and that might have been what finished it."

Shippo took a few minutes to comprehend everything, as amazed as Inuyasha was by her deductions. Their travels took her far from who she was when they first met each other, and she gained experience and wisdom to great heights, even if she herself did not notice. When he understood what she said he nodded grimly.

"He's in rough shape, no matter how you put it," Kagome added to the silence.

"Inuyasha has to hurry," Shippo ventured. He wasn't naïve; he knew what she implied.

Kagome just nodded.

After Kagome situated herself among the rags and herbs beside him, she leaned back against the wall next to Sesshomaru, intent on giving him whatever was necessary for him to survive through the night. Glad for the cooler temperature outside, she clipped the thatch open to let the breeze in. If it was necessary after he was given an antidote, she would have Inuyasha stay in the hut and bring the fire up to a temperature high enough to help him sweat out the fever. For now the best she could do without killing herself was let the breeze and wet rags cool him down, and that seemed to at least keep his fever from rising.

Shippo had fallen asleep, curled tightly against her sleeping bag. His soft snores were somewhat reassuring to her, although she wasn't sure exactly why; most snoring kept her up.

She realized that might have been why because she did not want to sleep in fear that she would miss something important and in the process let his life slip through her fingers. For Inuyasha's sake she couldn't let that happen. As much as the two fought, there was still something between them that had to remain.

A half-hour passed before Kagome felt herself relax into a slumber she couldn't deny her body, and with as much as she wanted to resist the siesta, it fought back twice as hard. She replenished the rag once more before she nodded off, unable to make her body listen to her will.

./-/-/-/-/-/.

A sound slap reverberated through the trees.

"Miroku, hands off! This is serious!"

The monk massaged his now twice sore cheek with his left hand. As much as he could recognize the gravity of their mission, somehow he just couldn't keep his mind, or his hand, from wandering to her swaying behind.

"I'm sorry, Sango; it just seems to be happening," he stated innocently.

The demon slayer glared fiercely before swinging herself behind the perverted monk and placing her hands squarely on his shoulders, pushing him ahead of herself with the force of her well-trained hands.

"Keep your eyes on the road, Miroku. Maybe then you won't think so much about touching me where your hand does not belong."

He sighed in submission, picking up his dragging feet and continuing forward toward their destination.

Their destination was the source of the river that they were following, the very one that carried Sesshomaru to the village near its end. They figured if they started where everything began they would have better luck finding the young child that followed him so faithfully. Although they were completely unsure of how long ago the assumed battle had occurred, they were sure that it had to be no more than two days, considering the state of the demon when they found him.

The forest grew darker around them and Sango pulled out Kagome's flashlight, struggling for a few moments before she remembered how the strange light worked. They had decided earlier to continue searching for a few hours after nightfall so they could get further along in a shorter time. When the light flicked on she held it out as Kagome had demonstrated long before, aiming for the diminishing path before them.

Miroku broke the silence not long after, encouraging a bit of talk among the two of them.

"Where do you think they might be, Sango?"

"They either stayed put or set off searching for him," she stated truthfully. "Let's hope they didn't move too far from the river, or we will have a hard time finding them."

"If we find them…what will we tell them?"

The question easily voiced his uncertainty. Sesshomaru's condition was worse than most creatures could survive. Sango had heard little about dealing with dog demons while she lived at the demon slayer's village, particularly because they were not known to go after humans for petty reasons, or even food, so she had no complete knowledge of their limits. That wasn't to say she didn't have an idea; her father had once told her a story about Inuyasha's father, although at that time she had no idea about his sons. She was also a first-hand witness to the wounds Inuyasha survived, and he was only half-demon. Needless to say, dogs seemed to have a strong will, if nothing else.

"We can't tell them what we don't know," she said finally. "We won't lie to them, and I'm sure he'll manage to survive somehow. Inuyasha always gets back up, even from wounds that should have killed him."

Miroku nodded in agreement. It was true that their hanyou friend never seemed to fall to anything for too long, even a hole through the abdomen. Twice. His brother, being a full demon, should survive wounds to a much higher extent.

"How do you think they're holding up with him?" Sango questioned while they were on the subject of the situation.

Miroku thought for a moment. The last time they saw Inuyasha he looked devastated and almost lost. Kagome, at least, seemed to be taking control of everything in his place.

When Miroku didn't say anything, Sango brought up another point.

"I don't recall Inuyasha ever being poisoned, Miroku."

Her words suggested that she was unsure of how dogs dealt with poison. He moved to correct her thoughts. "He has, once, before we found you. Sesshomaru did it."

This was news to Sango.

"How?"

Miroku proceeded to explain the events of the night it had happened, beginning to end in full detail. Sango's eyes grew wider with every passing word. She'd only seen Sesshomaru use his poison once: when he blinded Inuyasha in an attempt to break Tetsusaiga, which only resulted in the demon being brought down by the wind scar.

"Inuyasha fought to get out of that stupid hut the whole time. You could hardly tell he just had a hand through his gut."

Sango smiled at that. Inuyasha was always rash and disobedient, especially when he felt useless. Her smile disappeared suddenly when she realized she still had no idea how dogs did with poison. Inuyasha survived because of the minimal usage, and because the poison was natural to his bloodline, if only half of it. The odds of his brother surviving were still unknown.

"I hope he pulls through, for Rin's sake, if nothing else."

Miroku nodded in agreement.

"I get the feeling Kagome was left to watch him," Miroku stated after a moments thought.

Sango, surprised for a moment at his gut feeling, looked up at him. "What makes you think that?"

"Sesshomaru needs an antidote of some sort, if he was, indeed, poisoned to such an extent. Jinenji's village is not far from here, and since we have Kirara…"

"Inuyasha would be the fastest. You're right, Miroku. I hope Kagome's okay."

"She won't let him die, and I'm sure Inuyasha will be back by tomorrow, considering the condition of his brother."

Sango nodded. At first it had always seemed like the two brothers hated each other, but after seeing Inuyasha's reaction she was having many second thoughts.

The monk shifted his gaze to the river after a few minutes of silence, hoping to catch a glimpse of the other things he was searching for; Sesshomaru's swords. He hadn't voiced what he noticed back at the village outskirts since everyone was too busy caring for him, but it was one of the first things he observed when Kagome removed his fur and haori. Neither the demon sword nor the life-saving sword were anywhere on the demon's body, nor were they in the part of the river where they had found him. Miroku assumed Sesshomaru had used Tokijin during the battle, and perhaps had lost it there, but he would have never drawn Tenseiga, and that meant he lost it somewhere in the river itself.

Something glinted in the darkness and Miroku came to a stop.

"Hang on a second, Sango," he instructed, motioning for her to shift the attention of the flashlight to the river from the forest floor.

"What is it, Miroku?"

He shifted through forest undergrowth until he reached the river and discovered what had caught his attention. The slick surface of a shell flashed in the false light, bathed in a sticky substance similar to blood. He took it in his hand and pulled it from the river.

The section of the shell was as big as his palm and marble-like with its color. Half of it was covered with underwater growth, and blood clung to that as if the water wasn't there. The thick substance was tinged blue; an indication to what creature had once harbored it before it had met its untimely demise.

"Miroku, that looks like the same kind of shell Kagome found on Sesshomaru," Sango announced. At his gesture, she took the fragment from his hand to examine it herself.

"I suppose it might be safe to say that whatever Sesshomaru had fought is, indeed, dead," he concluded. "I suspect that he would not have gone down without bringing it with him."

"Or let it take Rin," Sango ventured. "If he knew he was on the losing end of the battle, he must have ended it the way he did to protect her."

Miroku nodded. "Considering the fact that he asked Inuyasha to find Rin, I wouldn't doubt that."

"…Who'd have thought Sesshomaru, of all people, would protect a human child."

Miroku nodded in silent agreement. The cold, impassive demon the group had met before seemed to dissolve before them.

"So, do you think he-…" Miroku broke off when a cold, wet weight landed on his shoulder and head, making him jump back a foot and drop his staff before letting out a disgusted yelp. Sango watched him with undisguised amusement as he complained about the goop before looking up to see were it came from.

"I just had this washed…Sango?"

"Look up there, Miroku. I think you're right about it being dead."

Tangled in the branches of the tree above them was a large appendage from the demon they had assumed Sesshomaru did battle with. Blood dripped from the severed end, its blue tint matching what was found clinging to the shell, as well as what now dripped from Miroku's robes. Miroku took a step further back, trying to keep out of the path of the blood welling up around the tentacle and threatening to fall on him once again. Sango walked around to him, surprised that they had missed the growing pool of blood beside them. She dug into the back of her mind, conjuring up everything she had learned about water creatures in her days living within the demon slayer's village. Suddenly it hit her when a vivid memory of one of her father's many lectures resurfaced in her mind. Pushing back the feelings that came with it, she made known her knowledge.

"That's a mizudoubutsu tentacle."

"Mizudoubutsu?" Miroku questioned to ascertain the creature's profile. He inwardly smiled at his companion's knowledge, which always seemed to make him feel small comparing himself to her, but also make him proud to be in her presence. It was a feeling unlike anything he could ever feel in the company of any other woman, and he liked that.

"A water beast, but they normally aren't so big. This thing is huge!" Her eyes were wide in awe. This was truly something to keep in the records of her mind.

"What could have caused it to become so large?" Miroku half mumbled to himself. "You don't think Naraku has anything to do with this, do you Sango?"

The demon slayer shook her head thoughtfully. "No, I doubt this is Naraku's doing. It doesn't fit his style."

Miroku slowly nodded, realizing she was correct. Naraku would have gone to much greater lengths to do such damage, and, knowing his obsession with wanting to become stronger than any living creature, he would not have passed up the chance to absorb Sesshomaru's body and his extensive demonic power into his own. It was just as well that it wasn't his doing; otherwise they would be facing a much stronger enemy than ever before.

"He would have done well with some help. Even a normal sized mizudoubutsu should be handled with a team of at least five people. The risk of being poisoned is way too high. This kind of demon has a large amount of tentacles, all of which contain toxin, and you have to kill them quickly." She shook her head in disbelief. "Otherwise they sacrifice themselves to take out their enemy by exploding."

"Sounds as if this demon carried an ample amount of pride," Miroku remarked. "Much like Sesshomaru."

"A battle of pride."

"Indeed."

Miroku brushed the rest of the blood off of his robes and retrieved his staff. His shoulder felt unpleasantly sticky, not to mention the whole right side of his face. He stuck his tongue out childishly in disgust, catching Sango's attention.

"We should find you a spring or something with clean water. The reason the mizudoubutsu's blood is blue is because their poison is contained in it."

He nodded and together they left the river behind them.

Another hour passed before they found a suitable pool welling up behind a wall of trees and plant matter. Sango settled down with Kirara at her side while Miroku removed his robes and timidly entered the rather cool water. The cool night air did not make it any better, and he ducked as deep as he could to escape the breeze that curled through the branches of the trees.

"You know, Sango, this is pretty cold. It could be warmer if-" He broke off when a rock whizzed past his head.

"No, Miroku, I am not coming in there with you!" Sango shouted in a hushed undertone. The demon slayer juggled another stone in her hand, extremely tempted to toss it in the same path as the previous one. Kirara mewed in what was either agreement or exasperation, neither of which the humans could be sure of. She pawed at a couple of sticks, gathering them into a small pile until Sango replaced the rock at her side and helped the feline in her task. Once an appropriate pile was erected, Kirara transformed and lit the fire as she had done many nights before, then changed back and curled up beside her master's leg.

Absently Sango stroked the two-tail's fur, concentrating on the sounds of the forest around her. She was hopeful that the small group they were looking for had followed the flow of the river, and in their search had been weary to stop. She strained her ears to hear other voices, or perhaps the footfalls of the dragon she had seen once before, but the forest was silent with the darkness of night surrounding them, save for the crackling of the fire. She sighed in submission and curled up against the tree behind her.

Miroku washed away the remnants of the mizudoubutsu's blood from his hair and proceeded to pull the part of his robes that had been contaminated into the water with him. He scrubbed the cloth gently, watching the blue tinge wash away into the flow of the water around him. He prayed no creature suffered from his bath by drinking the now foul water. Once he was sure nothing remained, he laid the robes across the rocks and settled back into the water.

The time he had to wait until his clothes were dry was used up by thinking about the situation at hand. Rin had to be found quickly and brought back quickly as well. He feared Sesshomaru's condition was much worst than they all had thought when they first discovered him, and Kagome could only do so much. He hated to be pessimistic, but from what Sango had deduced, the possibility of him surviving seemed to be very little. If they could at least find his ward in time, she would be able to see him before…

He shook his head vigorously, ridding his mind of the thought. Inuyasha survived many things that were against all odds; there was no reason Sesshomaru could not do the same.

With his clothes as dry as they would get for the time being he quickly got out of the cool water and dressed, returning to the camp to find Sango half-asleep against Kirara's transformed side. She looked up at him and suddenly seemed more awake than she was, staring at him like she had never seen him before in her life.

"What? Is something wrong, Sango?" he questioned to her look.

She stared a moment longer before she answered again. "Your hair. It's down."

"Oh." He ran his hand through it for a second. Somehow he'd completely forgotten to tie it back again. "I was waiting for it to dry more," he lied.

"Okay…it's different."

"Is it? I think it's a bit messy like this, but-"

"No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just different with you."

Miroku stared at her and smiled. It seemed like she was complementing him in her careful tone, and blushing, unless it was just the fire playing on her face. He sat down across from her, leaving his hair in messy shambles until it dried.

"So it is."

./-/-/-/-/-/-/.

Kagome awoke to silence around her much later into the night. She jumped a little at the stillness and a worried look crossed her eyes. Something was missing, and she felt like it was important.

She glanced around. Shippo was still there, sleeping sprawled out on her sleeping bag in such a childish manner she nearly forgot her concern. The fire still burned low as she had intended; the thatch was still open; the water still at her side; Sesshomaru silent as ever, and…

She stopped there. Sesshomaru wasn't supposed to silent. Fear flashed in her eyes and she turned to him, her heart pounding faster than she had ever remembered. His face was relaxed but still red with fever, and his chest was minus the rasping rise and fall that was there before.

Nothing replaced it.

"Sesshomaru!"

* * *

**sorcerousfang: and boom (I'm actually listening to that song now...). Cliffhanger again.**

**Just for future reference, I like to end in cliffhangers so people are more inclined to wait for the next chapter and read along. Just to let you know.**

**This also gives you another reason to hate me, Sesshomaru. I know you were about to say that.**

**Sesshomaru: ah...darnit, mindreader.**

**sorcerousfang: no, you're just predictable.**

**Until next chapter!  
Ja ne!**


	5. Close Call

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, Sesshomaru was standing in the way of me signing for ownership, so, yeah, I don't own Inuyasha.**

**sorcerousfang: yeah, I should probably just skip to the start of this chapter since everyone thinks Fluffy's dead and I'm not getting to that part just yet.**

**Sesshomaru: Hurry up and tell them I'm alive!**

**sorcerousfang: …okay…just, read. Oh, and thanks to those of you that really love it when I update, like sorceress-of-faith (holds the record for fastest responses!) and Akiko88 (thanks for all of your reviews!), as well as everyone else who bothers to review when they get to the bottom of the page. As for the rest of you, PLEASE REVIEW!**

* * *

The fire crackled sullenly, hardly attended by the people who sat silently around the small line of rocks that confined it. One prodded it with a stick absently, instead giving his attention to the other who sat staring at something only she could see. He shifted uncomfortably in her silence; her usual unnaturally bubbly personality had left her deep into the night before. Hours of searching and crying left her mute once again, and he feared she was going into a relapse of what she had used to be.

The girl stood finally, but didn't acknowledge the other's presence. She crossed over to the small stream they stopped beside, staring at the clear water, at the eyes of her twin staring back at her with matching pain hidden in their depths, before dipping her hand into it to erase the image. Her companion watched her silently, abandoning the fire behind him. Carefully she drew the water over her left arm, cleansing a small wound above her elbow. He heard her hiss quietly in pain, and he quickly recognized the reason for her actions.

"Rin," he called quietly.

Jaken walked up to her and watched the young girl concentrate on her wound. She made no indication that she had heard him, or even noticed his presence as she worked. He took his sleeve in between his hands and beak-like mouth and tore a long strip of the fabric away. Silently he grabbed Rin's arm, making her jump. Her reaction confirmed her distance from the world at the moment. Quickly he wound the strip around the wound, then tied it as gently as his hands would allow.

"If I don't take care of you, Lord Sesshomaru would have my head when he returns," he explained quickly.

Rin stared at him for a few moments. He didn't expect her to answer him, but a small smile suddenly adorned her features and tears welled up in her light chocolate eyes.

"Thank you, Master Jaken," she said quietly, swiping a small hand over her eyes to clear the tears that threatened to fall. His gaze shied away from her; he was serious about Sesshomaru having his head, but he also didn't like seeing the girl cry so much. He hoped now she wouldn't be so silent, and that she would actually get some sleep tonight instead of staying up and staring off into space as if she was replaying the past events in her mind's eye.

Her arm was wounded when the beast their lord had been battling suddenly exploded, forcing them to take cover behind Ah-Un. Rin tried to look around the dragon to make sure her lord was okay, but the dragon held her back with it's tail, and her arm was struck by a piece of shell during the struggle. After the explosion subsided, she was too busy looking for Sesshomaru to worry about the blood streaming lightly down her arm.

"And do me a favor by not being so quiet," Jaken stated absently right before turning to go back to the camp. Rin nodded to his back, picking herself up and following him back to the fire. She sat down beside him this time, but being unsure of what to say made her fall silent once again. Her gaze fell to the fire where her thoughts afresh began to wrap around the missing presence of her lord, and then quickly to her part in his defeat.

After a few minutes, her voice suddenly caught the attention of both Jaken and Ah-Un, causing both the imp and the dragon to look at her with unusual expressions.

"It's my fault that Lord Sesshomaru isn't here right now, isn't it, Master Jaken."

Ah-Un reacted as if he completely understood what she had said and proceeded to whimper as if to disagree. Jaken followed suit shortly after pondering on the right words to say.

"No it's not, Rin. The water beast chose to take you, so it's its fault, not yours."

"But I got so close to the edge, and then I-"

Jaken interrupted her before she could continue. "Lord Sesshomaru led us that way, Rin, and he could have chosen to just walk away from it, but he didn't. I'm not saying it's his fault, either! I'm just trying to say it's not yours, so don't blame yourself."

Rin stared at him as he crossed his arms and looked away in frustration. If anything he should be agreeing with her, not trying to make her feel better. That was just the way Jaken did things; he contradicted her, yelled at her for needless things, questioned her presence, and then came to her rescue just to please Lord Sesshomaru. This was a completely different version of him, and she nearly said that aloud.

"Thank you, Master Jaken," she said after a few minutes of silence.

"I'm just tried of hearing you cry about all of this, that's all," he argued, making Rin smile. In his own way he cared about the young human child and her feelings, and he managed to reveal that with random little acts of kindness toward the girl, although most of these were done outside of Sesshomaru's presence, when he should be doing them in his presence, considering their lord kindly resorted to teaching Jaken a lesson in keeping his mouth shut when ever he said something to her that was out of line.

With her thoughts shifting back to her lord, the smile disappeared from her face. She looked at Jaken a bit more seriously now. "Do you think Lord Sesshomaru is okay, Master Jaken?"

Jaken hesitated before answering, being completely unsure himself. Sesshomaru was rarely ever beaten to the point where he had to stay in one place for more than a few days, so he expected that perhaps this was one of those incidents, where he thought he might be dead, but something in the back of his mind kept telling him to search. Suddenly he decided to use one of those times as an example to explain to Rin the likelihood of their lord being just fine.

"Do you remember when you first met Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin nodded. It wasn't like she could forget. "Well, although it's very rare, there have been other times when Lord Sesshomaru has had to stay still for a while, and he always came out of it just fine. That miserable half-breed Inuyasha is the one who caused him to have to rest for so many days! What I'm trying to say is that Inuyasha has been Lord Sesshomaru's most formidable opponent, and if he couldn't kill him, then neither could that stupid, overgrown snail. Sesshomaru's probably just resting somewhere."

Rin nodded, although she didn't quite believe him or the thought of the water-beast being an overgrown snail. An octopus would have been a better comparison, but she guessed that Jaken was only thinking of the shell for the moment. A flicker of amusement flashed through her eyes for a moment; Jaken wasn't very good at finding the right words for some things, and most of the time that led him to have a very large bump on his head. Silently she hoped things would go right back to normal when they found him, like Jaken saying something like 'I thought you were dead' and her lord hitting him over the head for thinking such thoughts. Then she would say 'I'm glad you're safe' and he would give her a smile, but only through his eyes.

That hope seemed a long way off.

Rin sighed deeply and leaned back against the tree. Her lord would not want to see her sad, so she wouldn't be. She would go on with Jaken like she normally did when Sesshomaru went off to do his own thing, the only difference being they would be searching every corner of the forest for him.

That was it. No more crying. No more worrying about the worst case scenario. No more silently staring off into space. Jaken convinced her of that one.

That decided, she stood up and walked over to Ah-Un. She smiled a small smile and stroked each of the heads in turn.

"Master Jaken, I'm going to sleep now. You should rest, too, so we can start searching again early tomorrow."

Jaken was slightly taken aback by how quickly she seemed to be following what was on his mind. He nodded in agreement and watched her curl up beside the dragon and close her eyes for the much needed sleep her body was craving.

"Good night, Master Jaken."

"Good night, Rin."

Jaken poked the fire once again, making burning cinders fly up into the smoke and curl in the wind that brushed the trees around the small camp. Silently he prayed he was right about his lord being alright, but a sharp pounding of his heart kept trying to tell him otherwise.

./-/-/-/-/-/-/.

"Sesshomaru!"

Kagome's frantic voice shook Shippo from his sleep. He jumped up from the sleeping bag with a sudden burst of worry-filled energy, his eyes wide with fear.

"What's going on, Kagome?!" he cried frenetically as he bound across the floor to where she was positioned beside Sesshomaru. Her hands were shaking with uncertainty and fear grew ever more present in her eyes with each passing second. His gaze shifted to the body before her, and he realized the cause of her concern.

"He's not breathing!" Kagome's voice shook. Shippo stood frozen beside her.

"_I have to do something, but what can I do?! I have to get him breathing again…but…oooh, Inuyasha, why did you have to go?! What am I supposed to do?!"_

Shippo swallowed back his fear, although the slight trembling of his limbs would not cease so easily. He had to help Kagome pull herself together so they could save him, otherwise Inuyasha's trip would be for nothing, and he would come back devastated. And Rin, too. The young fox had taken a small liking to the girl's smile.

"Kagome, pull yourself together! He's still alive; we just have to get him breathing!"

Kagome stared at him for a few moments until she recognized the determination in his eyes and the willingness of his tone. They could do this.

Not that it wouldn't be awkward…

Kagome took a deep breath, but in the back of her mind there was a battle raging about how many reasons she shouldn't do what she had to do and how many reasons there wasn't any choice.

"_I've only kissed Inuyasha once!"_

The battle been won in her head by the side saying it had to be done finally put her to action. She dipped her hands in the water beside her to clean them, and then she carefully parted his mouth to open his airway. She ran over her mind what she had learned in her CPR classes for a final time before she overcame the frantic burning on her face and leaned over him. She pinched his nose and swallowed before leaning down.

Sooner than her face had come within three inches of his, his body convulsed once and he broke into a coughing fit. She jumped back and watched helplessly for a few moments before they subsided and his ragged breathing took over, completely ending her concern. Shippo stared at him for a few moments before shifting his gaze to Kagome who suddenly looked very angry.

Kagome's fists balled and she stared in disbelief.

"_Is this supposed to funny? What is it with demon's and their sick sense of humor?!"_

A small, guiltless whimper escaped him and she sighed. She was overreacting; none of this was a joke. He was not laughing inside at her turmoil. She just woke up at a bad time. Still, this wouldn't be something that she would tell Inuyasha had transpired.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Shippo asked worriedly. Her reaction had him confused.

"I'm just tired, Shippo, that's all. It's been a long night," she replied quietly. He nodded in response and climbed up into her lap hoping to comfort her in some way. She absently stroked his hair for a few minutes before she reached for the rag and replenished it with water, laying it lightly over the unconscious demon's forehead. She took the other and drew it over his exposed flesh, watching his muscles relax as the fresh water cooled him. She knew it wouldn't last very long, but at least it seemed to help.

It was still so odd to see him like this; she had a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that this was defiantly not a dream but a cruel reality the demon had gotten mixed up in. She hoped distantly that somehow Inuyasha was already at Jinenji's farm. If he was then they could get this over with sooner than expected and she would no longer have to worry about whether he was going to make it through the night.

She draped the rag over the edge of the water bowl and returned to stroking Shippo's hair. The young fox kit had already fallen back asleep, and she assumed he would stay that way until morning, which was only a few hours off. She'd stay up and watch Sesshomaru to make sure they didn't have another incident much like what happened moments ago and continue to cool him with the water every half-hour or so.

Her attention shifted to his wounds. The bandages were soaked in his own sweat and blood, and they would need changing as soon as she could get help in the morning. One good thing about the people in the feudal era was that they normally awoke at the break of dawn to get to work in the fields or within the village. Kagome reached forward and pressed her hand against the sleeping bag he rested on. It made an unappealing squishing sound under her weight and she drew it back in disgust.

"So much for the sleeping bag," she mumbled as she wiped her hand across her skirt. She'd have to remember to borrow some bed sheets from someone in the morning as well.

Kagome ended up passing the time reading one of the history textbooks she had brought along with her to study with. She didn't really cram it, she just flipped through the pages and read a few inserts and other things she suddenly found interesting. Funny how the textbook left out demons that ran rampant throughout the feudal era. More than once there were times in her history class where she found herself wanting to tell the real story, like when they studied the tale of the bamboo cutter. After their little 'run-in' with the real moon princess, she just wanted to shout out how much of a conniving little end-of-the-world-obsessed you-know-what she really was. History seemed so wrong now; no wonder her grades were terrible.

A sudden thought made her expression turn thoughtful.

"_Hmmm…I wonder what happened to Sesshomaru when Kaguya showed up. He must have been frozen, too, but for some reason that's hard to imagine…"_

She shook her head. It was something to wonder about later. Maybe once Miroku and Sango returned with Rin she could ask her about it, considering she would probably have been with him at the time.

Once again she ran the wet rag over his chest. He took a deep, unstable breath before he began to relax again. Kagome's eyes softened considerably. Watching the proud demon in so much pain made her feel like she might be in pain as well. It was the same with many people she came across that were sad or hurt. Her level of empathy seemed to rise above most of her feelings at times, especially when one of her friends were injured. Though Sesshomaru wasn't really a friend per se, his condition affected Inuyasha greatly, and knowing that she couldn't help but feel it herself.

The first light of dawn crept through the window above her and she gently lifted Shippo from her lap. She carried him over to her sleeping bag and rested him there. He shifted in his sleep, but otherwise did not stir. Quietly she took another rag from her backpack along with her bag of necessities and slipped silently out of the hut. The wind caught her gently, blowing strands of hair in her face. She pushed them away and enjoyed the comforting breeze for a few minutes, noticing just how much of a difference in temperature there was between the hut and the open air. She sighed deeply and headed off to the river.

She was pleased to find the water flowing clean once again. She splashed her face with the clear liquid and wiped the rag down her arms and legs, around her neck, and finally across her face. She'd have to make do with a towel wash until she could have the luxury of a nice, hot bath when she didn't have so many responsibilities to take care of. She brushed her teeth and then her hair before tying it back with a hair ribbon into a loose ponytail. She should have done that yesterday, she realized, but whatever.

Quickly she gathered her stuff and returned to the hut to drop it off. Once inside she ran the wet cloth over Sesshomaru's body again before leaving the shelter to head for the village.

By the time she reached the main part of the village it was already bustling with activity, keeping pace with the sun as it rose over the hills beyond it. Groups of people were heading to the fields with tools in tow, murmuring about the day's crop or rumors on the wind. Some were preparing to travel a short distance to sell off goods at the larger town a few miles east. She passed the busy people and noted Kyojin's house as she walked by.

Half-way into the small town she spotted one of the men who had helped her yesterday to bandage Sesshomaru's wounds. She increased her pace a little to catch up to him.

"Hiro-san, wait up!" she called. Hiro turned to face her, notably raising his eyebrows at her appearance. Apparently her wash didn't cover up everything.

"Lady Kagome. You look exhausted," he stated truthfully. He swung the field scythe he held over his muscular shoulder to rest it there. Kagome sighed inwardly at his attempts to redeem his self-appointed status as the strongest in the land.

"Just had a long night is all. He stopped breathing a few hours ago, so we had a bit of a scare until he was safe again. As safe as he can get anyway. I just hope Inuyasha gets back soon so he can be out of danger and we can all relax," she explained to him.

He frowned a little. "…You really plan on saving that demon, don't you?"

Kagome glared at him; she thought she had made that completely clear last night, but apparently he needed to be reminded. "Of course we are! How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

Hiro took a step back; the feminine wrath was resurfacing.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that we all find demons to be, well, better off without, ya know?"

Kagome's glare softened. She could think of many demons the world would be better off without.

"I know, but Sesshomaru wouldn't attack people needlessly. He's not like that; he thinks it's petty," she tried to reassure him again. "As far as I know, he doesn't go within fifty feet of any village unless he has some sort of business to attend to, and he never has business with humans." She just let the words fly, but it felt really weird to be talking for the demon she hardly knew.

"Hmmm…Is there another reason you're so determined to save him? Are he and that dog-eared friend of yours blood? Now that I think of it, they do seem a little alike, or maybe that's just my opinion."

Kagome looked at the ground. She didn't think they would really notice until Inuyasha came back since their only real similarities were their hair and eyes, but somehow she knew it wouldn't be long before they figured it out for themselves. And she didn't expect Sesshomaru to be happy about that.

"They're half-brothers, and they normally don't get along, but I don't think either of them really wants to see the other die. If you don't mind, could you keep that to yourself? I don't think Sesshomaru really wants it known that they're related. Just let it stay a rumor."

Hiro nodded in understanding. No reason to make the demon angry.

"Anyway, can you find Tenmaru and come by in a little while? His bandages need changing. Oh, and if the village has any extra bed sheets I'd like to switch them with the sleeping bag he's on now. It's soaked through, and if he continues laying on that then he's bound to get worse before Inuyasha comes back."

"Yeah, sure. Where did your friend go, anyway? Seemed like a bad time to leave," he pondered aloud.

"He went to Jinenji's garden to get an antidote for the poison."

"Jinenji's? You mean the monster garden?"

"Jinenji is not a monster! He is one of the kindest people I've ever met in my life. You all just misjudge him because he's a half-demon, and you never take the time to know him."

Hiro raised his eyebrows; the woman before him did many dangerous things even he wouldn't think of attempting, and yet she made it through without a scratch it seemed.

"Strongest in the land my foot, you're afraid of a cataleptic demon for heaven's sake!"

With that said she stormed off in the opposite direction, determined to get back to the hut before he could argue with her. Ten feet later she turned back and shouted, "And I better see you there in fifteen minutes!" just to make a point that she still expected him to show up whether he was scared or not. There were a few stares from the other villages and Kagome wore a very satisfied grin on her face at Hiro's reaction.

Sooner than she had expected she was back outside of the village and nearing the hut. She sighed before she entered the hut and was met with the sight of Shippo replacing the rag across Sesshomaru's temple. She smiled; it was nice to have at least one person with her now that understood that they had to save him. Maybe if she told the village that a human girl traveled with him, they might be more helpful, and considering when Miroku and Sango brought the little girl back the village would find out anyway, she didn't think Sesshomaru would mind them knowing beforehand. That or they would all think he bewitched her and grow ever more weary of him. The latter seemed a bit more likely at this point.

"Thanks for your help, Shippo," she said to him as she took her position beside him.

Shippo nodded. "I woke up because he was moaning. I think his fever is getting worse."

Kagome touched his skin with her fingertips and quickly drew them back as the heat overwhelmed her soft flesh. His fever was definitely higher, and his breathing more labored. He looked like he was struggling more, and it hadn't been that long since she had left the hut. Before she left he seemed just like he was after the incident during the night. If his condition could change this quickly, she was afraid of what might happen if she left his side again.

Before her mind could wander toward the potential outcomes of her periodical absences, the thatch wavered and Hiro stepped in. In his hands were an assortment of blankets, all of which she assumed were open to her use. Tenmaru followed behind him, another trove of blankets in his arms. Kagome smiled gratefully, all earlier anger lost in her renewed distress. Both men easily caught the worry in her chocolate orbs; they would have been blind to miss it.

Hiro quickly buried his small resentment under the obvious fact that she was horribly stressed out, being left to take care of the demon with only the help of the young fox kit to aid her and the lack of cooperation she was receiving, He should have asked where the monk and demon slayer went while he was on a role with information earlier; he'd ask after they were done with their task.

"I really appreciate all of the blankets. I can pay those that want compensation," Kagome stated appreciatively.

"No need. These are a little worn, so no one minds parting with them," Tenmaru stated.

"Thanks," she sighed. "The extras can help him sweat out some of this fever, I hope. Speaking of his fever, it's higher than it was yesterday, so you might want to wrap a few of these rags around your hands." She pointed to the small pile she had pulled out earlier when she had gotten one for herself. They nodded, taking rope they were suddenly glad they had brought along and tying the cloth in place.

Quietly the men waited until the young priestess had everything situated around her in a slightly chaotic fashion that she seemed to prefer; gauze, herbs, mixes for various things, and her unusual bandages and remedies. Once she was prepared they lifted the demon carefully, wincing slightly at the heat of his fever. Quickly and efficiently, Kagome removed the bloody bandages and passed them off to Shippo, who in turn placed them in a bag made of a weird material she described as 'plastic.' Once all of the soiled gauze was removed, she motioned for the men to lower him back onto the sleeping bag. She would switch it for the cleaner blankets once she was finished.

"Feels more like an oven than a man. That's some fever," Tenmaru stated as he wiped his brow. "How are you going to clean his wounds without burning yourself?"

"I'll manage," she stated absently as she ran a wet cloth over the length of Sesshomaru's chest. His breathing relaxed a little with the touch, but the labored breaths soon replaced it once again when the rag held more of his blood than the fresh water. She switched the rag for a clean one and quickly transferred her attention to the wound on his side. The men watched her clean it, pause when the demon whimpered in pain, and then switch for the numbing solution.

"Shippo, could you manage refilling this bucket with water?" She asked as she gently rubbed the mixture into the wound. Shippo nodded, took the long board beside him and slipped it under the bucket's handle. He anchored it on his shoulder and exited the hut quickly, heading for the well in the village.

Kagome tore a few leaves from the plant beside her and mixed them into the sticky potion with quick turns of her wrist. The men watched her in awe, amazed by her rapid yet professional ability with the herbs. They were too busy eyeing the demon yesterday to notice before. For someone so young, she certainly seemed to know her way with tonics. As she waited for the medicine the take affect she worked with the smaller wounds, plastering them with the numbing remedy until all of the wounds on his chest were covered in the thick, slightly yellow liquid.

"I want to get his back now, so if you would…," she let the soft order linger silently in the air. The men nodded and Hiro laced Sesshomaru's arm over his shoulder while Tenmaru steadied him. Kagome took a deep breath for a moment, happy with their now full cooperation, and moved around so she could work. She smoothed his hair over his left shoulder to get it out of the way and as swiftly as she could without missing something she sealed the wounds with the potion.

She finished with his back in less than five minutes and she let the two men take a break to cool themselves.

"Go outside and let the wind cool you down. I'll call you back in when I need you."

They nodded gratefully and exited the hut, removing the rags from their hands as they did.

"She's got a lot to do, does she not?" Tenmaru questioned quietly.

"Just until the dog-eared fella comes back with the medicine to cure the poison," he verified. "Did you know they're friends with that Jinenji, that half-demon that runs that herb farm north of here?"

"Friend's? I've heard rumors he had a taste for human flesh a while back."

"Apparently not. She said he's 'one of the kindest people I've ever met' when I was talkin' to her earlier. Guess we mighta been wrong."

The men sighed. The woman certainly contradicted everything they lived with before she came to the village to get rid of the demons, which for some reason had mysteriously vanished. Maybe they got scared and ran off. In either case, she did things no human would ever think of doing; no human older than her, even.

They looked up when they heard footsteps and saw a young man coming toward the hut carrying the bucket of water the fox demon was sent to fill. Their brows knitted together in confusion until they spotted the poofy tail trailing behind the man. Fox magic.

Shippo set the water bucket down and with a quiet 'pop' transformed back into his true form. He snatched the leaf that floated down with him out of the air and replaced it inside of his kimono.

"It was easier to carry the bucket if I transformed," he explained simply. He tried to lift the bucket again, but he suddenly found it much harder. Hiro silently grabbed it and hauled it into the hut. He placed it beside Kagome who muttered her thanks to the both of them, never taking her eyes off of her work. He watched over her shoulder as she smoothed the healing solution over the worst of the wounds, noting that the only sound that came from the demon was his labored breathing; not a single whimper as she worked now.

"This won't heal him completely. It's mostly just stopping him from losing more blood than he already has," she explained quietly. "Everything his body has to fight infection is trying to work against the poison. It's completely ignoring the wounds."

No wonder she was putting so much effort into this, Hiro finally realized.

An hour later they finished with everything, including switching the bedding. Kagome replenished the rag on his temple with water, smiling lightly as he seemed to relax under it. She stood and stretched, pulling her arms above her head. A couple of cracks sounded before she relaxed.

"_I feel like gramps now…" _she thought tiredly. She looked at the two men sharing a couple of sandwiches she made for them, in thanks for their help.

"Thanks for helping again, Hiro. You too, Tenmaru. I really appreciate it," she thanked them. "And thanks for not complaining this time. He really can't hurt you right now, and I doubt he will when he's healed."

Tenmaru nodded. "I know. It's just with the demons that were attacking the village, we're a bit weary of them."

Kagome mimicked him. "I understand."

"He looks a little better now; at least his breathing has settled down, anyway."

"That's what I'm hoping for. If he can hold out until Inuyasha gets back, then we're okay."

Hiro took the opportunity to ask about her other companions and her expression turned to one of someone weighing their options.

"They went to search for his companions. He asked for one of them when we found him, and we're afraid she might have gotten hurt during whatever happened that caused his condition," she explained.

"These companions demons as well?" Tenmaru questioned.

"No," Kagome answered quickly. "Well, one's an imp, but the other one is human. She's a little girl, about seven years old. We're not sure how she came to travel with him, but he protects her, and she certainly looks up to him and trusts him. I guess you could call him her adoptive father, although for him that's unusual." _"Who am I kidding!? I hardly know the guy!" _she thought.

"Ye sure the child ain't bewitched or something?" Hiro pondered. Kagome's shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes in mild frustration. She must be psychic or something today, because everything she thought of earlier was suddenly coming true.

"No, she's not bewitched. Believe me he's made us very aware of what he thinks of humans. Rin seems to be an exception."

"Rin follows Sesshomaru because he lets her," Shippo piped up. He'd had a conversation with the young girl a while back when Sesshomaru left her and Jaken behind while he went off to battle. "She thinks pretty highly of him."

Hiro seemed satisfied with that and he dropped the subject promising that he and Tenmaru wouldn't tell the villagers what they learned, assuming that was to be kept as quiet as the knowledge of the shared blood between the demon and her half-demon companion. Kagome nodded, her voice occupied by the sandwich in her mouth.

Several minutes later a shadow obscured the doorway, catching the attention of the people inside the little-used hut.

"Headman," Kagome greeted him, gesturing for him to enter.

"Hello, young priestess." At this Kagome blushed, not quite being used to it. He stayed within the doorway though, and she could easily guess why. "I came to check on your progress."

She bowed to him before answering. "We just finished redressing his wounds. I was giving Hiro and Tenmaru some food as thanks. As for progress, we'll have to wait for Inuyasha to return with the antidote before we can think of anything as progress."

"Antidote? I see." He looked at the demon with examining eyes. Sesshomaru shifted under his gaze and groaned, causing Kagome to rise to her feet. She walked over and drew the wet rag across his features until he relaxed somewhat. Somewhere she thought that he was subconsciously aware of the people around him, and he didn't like being seen like this. Her eyes softened a little at the thought of the blow his pride must be taking, being cared for by humans.

Her heart pounded sharply for a moment; something wasn't right.

"Well, please keep me updated, Lady Kagome. I trust what you say about him not planning to attack our small village after he is well. Tenmaru, Hiro, there are a few troubles in the fields; some people are having trouble hauling their carts. Since it seems you have finished here, would you be so kind as to help them out?"

The two men stood and bowed. Kagome thanked them as they left and then turned to the village headman.

"And thank you again for letting us care for him here. He may not say it when he's healed, but I'm sure he's grateful as well."

"You are welcome. If you require any other herbs or supplies, please don't hesitate to ask any of the villagers. They have been informed of his presence and told that he meant no harm to any of us, so they should be more willing to share whatever is needed to heal him."

With that the headman left her with a smile. Kagome couldn't help but stare after him for a few moments before returning to the water beside her, replenishing the rag with more cool relief. She moved to draw the rag over him again, but Sesshomaru suddenly seemed much more relaxed than he had just a minute ago.

* * *

**Sorcerousfang: …well, I was going to go further, but you people want another chapter so…**

**Sesshomaru: I'm still half dead!**

**Sorcerousfang: If you weren't I wouldn't have a story, so live with it.**

**Man…sessxkag people are going to have a hay-day with this. This is not a sessxkag story for those of you who might be wondering what the heck is going on. Note Inuxkag moments in chapter 3.**

**Sesshomaru: …I'm afraid to ask what sessxkag means…**

**Sorcerousfang: see, if it was, and he knew, I'd be dead.**

**Sesshomaru: …wait…people write that!? Who in their right mind…? And you! You almost made her…! That's disgusting!**

**Sorcerousfang: and now you see why I didn't. Anywho, I should be updating shortly, but I'm not that reliable when I say that so for now, click the little slightly purple button that says GO next to SUBMIT REVIEW. Click it! Make me happy!! Maybe I'll update faster…!**


	6. Gardens and Hoards

**Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha books 24-34, a fluffy and puppy bookmark (respectably), a Sesshomaru plushie, last year's Inuyasha calendar, the (unofficial) third and fourth movie wall scrolls, The Secret of The Cursed Mask, Mystery of the Divine Jewel, a fluffy keychain, Inuyasha's necklace (borrowed by lamppost), AND a 4" Sesshomaru non-pose-able figurine (requires assembly of sword-wielding right hand…). I just don't own rights to any of it, Darn it.**

**Sesshomaru: wait…a plushie of me, a bookmark, keychain, wall scrolls, a figurine…**

**sorcerousfang: Hiya; me back again. And, yes Sesshomaru, I have a million different things in my room with your face on them.**

**Sesshomaru: …why?**

**sorcerousfang: …because I can! Anyway, so here is the next chapter which everyone has been waiting for. Not that I left you with a bad cliff hanger on the last one, but if you put things together from the last chapter, you should be wondering…**

**Sesshomaru: **_**I need to burn her room…**_

* * *

A blur of crimson streaked the mid-morning sky, darting across the open fields. His destination came up sharply as he threw himself over the grassy hills. His bare feet touched the packed dirt of a worn road momentarily, imprinting his own foot prints alongside the others who had walked there before him. A few villagers shouted in alarm as he shot himself through the open air again, aiming straight for the house that rested on the hill above the rest of the village; Jinenji's home.

He didn't even pause as he hurled himself through the doorway. A gasp and a small scream echoed in unison at his presence. He dropped to his knees, gasping for the air he had deprived his lungs of for too long.

"Inuyasha?" Jinenji's deep, quiet voice rumbled in question. Next to him his mother held a large wooden plank threateningly over his head, before Jinenji's voice registered in her mind.

"What do you think you're doing, barging into someone's house like you own it?" she barked, lowering her improvised weapon. "You look like you've been chased by a ghost!"

Inuyasha was unable to speak until he got his breath back long enough to talk, so he instead pulled Kagome's version of the details and the shell piece from his kimono and handed them to the old woman. She inspected them with a slightly confused look.

"We need…an antidote" he wheezed, picking himself up off of the floor.

Jinenji offered him some water and he drank it thankfully. After he finished he took a couple more deep breaths to clear his lungs and mind, neither of which were very willing to cooperate, before he attempted to elaborate his words.

"He's been poisoned. We need an antidote quickly, otherwise…" He sped through the words, subconsciously trying to rush along the process.

"Slow down; I can't keep up with you! Now who's been poisoned? I need more details, son." The woman quieted him with a raised hand and a glare.

Inuyasha looked at the floor and clenched his fists. There was no time to slow down; he had to get the medicine back now. An image of Sesshomaru's battered body filled his mind and he bit down on his lip to keep himself from doing something that would make him feel like a fool.

"Sesshomaru. My half-brother," he said quietly, avoiding the somewhat surprised gazes of the half-demon and his mother. "He's a full demon, unlike me, so he carries the poison from our bloodline. Whatever attacked him neutralized it, so it couldn't counter it like it would with any other poison. He's strong, but whatever attacked him…Kagome wrote down the details, and we believe that shell is from the creature that poisoned him. Please…"

He broke off as a swell of emotions collided with what he was trying to say. It felt so…wrong. Wrong to be in this situation. No matter which way he looked at it, this shouldn't be happening. Besides, didn't he hate his brother? Wasn't that why they fought every time they were within shouting distance of each other? Then why was he so…worried?

"Alright, give me a while and I can get your antidote made," the old woman said to him, her expression changing to a much calmer countenance.

"How long will it take?" he questioned, eyes wide.

"As long as it takes." She glared at the look he gave her. "Look, boy, do you want it done right or do you want this trip to be for nothing?"

The thought of the risks she would take by speeding through the process suddenly numbed his fears.

"Inuyasha, why not help me get the herbs we need. Let's allowmy mother to do her job," Jinenji pressed lightly, placing a large hand on his back. Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest, but closed it as he thought better of the situation and nodded his reluctant agreement. Jinenji led him outside to the garden where he began to point out herbs.

"Pick the ones with the berries over there," he instructed him. "Sennenso berries are used a lot by demons for poisoning. They should be useful here."

Inuyasha nodded silently and easily pulled the plants from the ground. He wasn't sure whether it was the scent of all the herbs around him or the fact that he ran the whole way here, but he felt sick to his stomach. He glanced over to the crowd of villagers who stood at the edge of the garden. The scent of their fear was slowly diminishing as each of them realized he was just the "other" half-demon, conveniently leaving out the fact that he helped save all of their hides at one point.

A child broke through the throng and settled her worried eyes on him almost immediately. He could swear she knew exactly why he was here until her mother pulled her away. Of course the villagers were still pretty weary of Jinenji; they lived believing he was a monster for years.

Inuyasha could hear their conversation from where he knelt by the herbs, and he decided to listen as he worked. It was sort of a way he could keep his mind off of everything for at least a few moments.

"I don't want you to get hurt, so stay over here," the mother scolded her.

"But mommy, that's Inuyasha-san, right? He looks scared. I wanna help him 'cause Kagome-san gave me a flower when they were here last time," she argued with her.

Scared? Was it really that obvious to everyone, or just the kid?

"Damn kids…" he mumbled under his breath. Their world was just too black and white; either this or that, not 'what if' or 'just maybe' with them. They just see everything that's right in front of their face. In that way they were smarter than most adults.

"The child is right, Inuyasha," Jinenji spoke softly. Not surprising; he'd heard the child's voice as well. "Your worry is not that hard to spot."

Inuyasha growled and stubbornly gathered the pile of herbs he'd picked into his arms and carried them into the hut. Upon entering he threw them in the corner where the old woman was preparing her herb grinder.

"Don't take your temper out on me, dog-boy! Else I won't make your antidote," she threatened. Her threat he took all too seriously, and the wide, scared expression returned to his features within seconds of the registration of her words. A split second after she saw his reaction she realized how hard her statement had hit and her face softened sufficiently.

"I wasn't being serious, Inuyasha, but medicine takes time," she soothed him in a voice unbecoming of herself.

Inuyasha growled, but her sudden kindness was not lost on him.

"Time is what we don't have," he retorted. "We have no way of knowing how long it's been since he battled whatever nearly killed him. The poison's long-spread by now, and an antidote might be his only chance."

The old woman stared at him, more used to his rash behavior and over-bearing attitude than the sudden open insecurity that he was displaying before her now.

"Tell me what this brother of yours is like," she stated, tossing the first round of herbs into the grinding wheel's basin.

Inuyasha hesitated.

"As long as I've known him he's hated me and there's never been a time when we're in the same place that we don't fight in one way or another. He's always been cold, he's always looked down on everything, and I'm sure he blames me for what happened to our father. He hates that I'm a half-demon sharing our father's blood, and he hates that I have the Tetsusaiga even though he can't touch it."

The words poured out of him and the old woman listened over the grinding of the wheel. He didn't even seem to realize how much he was saying as he let details spill out into the air around them. It was as if they were his thoughts being laid out on the floor for everyone to read.

"Yet…I'm rushing around helping him, like it doesn't matter that he hates me. For some reason I just…"

"Do you like sparing with him?" she questioned with a slight laugh in her voice.

"Sparing?" he spat. "When we fight he wants to kill me. Do you call that sparing?"

"Has he ever tried to deal the final blow?" she argued.

"Sure. He ran me through with his own hand and poisoned me at the same time just to get my sword." He brandished the Tetsusaiga to emphasize his point.

Her argument wasted by that statement, she turned her attention back to her grinding wheel.

Inuyasha's gaze turned thoughtful and distant as he collected the memories of the fights after that. Funny; he couldn't recall another time when he truly had tried to kill him. If anything, the fights after that incident made him stronger. He'd learned the wind scar fighting him, he'd learned what made him transform, hell, he got his sword because he fought him.

"Sparing, huh?" he stated absently.

Minutes passed by in silence, save for the soft grinding of the herbs in the wheel.

"He's got this human girl following him around," Inuyasha suddenly recalled. "Makes me wonder what he did to make her want to tag along."

"What's this girl like?" she urged, somehow glad for the simple conversation.

"She's young, like seven or so, and seems overly cheerful considering she travels with him and that imp. She follows him like a lost puppy, and he gets some kind of kicks out of it or something. He's made it pretty clear he thinks of humans on the same level as insects, so I can't imagine why he lets her stay with him. He's saved her a few times, and he got pretty angry when I said she might be better off with her own kind. When we found him, he said her name, like he wanted to have her there."

"Perhaps she's touched his heart," Jinenji's deep voice rumbled behind the thatch. He squeezed through the doorway and placed his collection of herbs beside his mother.

Inuyasha didn't seem to mind that someone else had been listening in, or he took no notice of it at all as he continued.

"Maybe…"

"A young girl came here a while back looking for Sennenso berries for her friend. She could have warmed anyone's heart."

"Yeah, I remember you telling us about that the last time we were here. You said she was like Kagome."

"Yes, very much like her. She wasn't afraid of me at all."

"She was about the same age as the girl you described, Inuyasha," the old woman mused.

"Wait, was the girl who came here about this tall," at this he motioned with his hand, "dressed in an orange kimono, and wearing some of her hair up in a small ponytail?" He almost demonstrated her choice of hair style until he realized his thick hair would refuse and he'd look like an idiot.

"Yes." Jinenji recalled, understanding overflowing his large eyes.

"That's the same girl! That's Rin!"

They stared at each other in quiet surprise. Well, at least it made it easier to describe her.

It was interesting sometimes how things seemed to loop around, events overlapping each other in the endless cycle of life, taking the many people that existed in it by surprise more than one could count in a lifetime. Somehow everyone was connected in one way or another and those connections were made every second of the hour right under everyone's noses.

"So her name is Rin?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. Still can't believe a kid like her could travel with a demon as cold as him."

Jinenji's mother chuckled at some joke only she knew before the questioning looks of her son and the other hanyou across the room urged her to share the tale.

"Oh, I just recalled a question I asked her, that's all."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and?"

"I asked her if she was smitten with her demon friend, but she didn't understand." Her gaze turned thoughtfully distant, recalling her younger days.

"Y-you asked her what?!" Inuyasha shook his head. _"Ah! No! Bad mental image, bad! Disappear! Shoo, shoo!" _He chased away the little figures, nearly laughing as he imagined himself chasing his brother away with his sword. Only after he regained his composure did he think the she was possibly referring to Jaken when she said "friend."

"Is something wrong, Inuyasha?" Jinenji questioned cautiously.

"Nothing," he growled, mentally chasing Jaken away.

Once all thoughts of the woman's question had safely tucked themselves away in the reserves of his mind, Inuyasha resorted to seating himself in the empty corner of the hut, telling them he was going to try torest, hoping that if he closed his eyes, time would somehow move by faster. The grinding of the herb wheel seemed to drift further and further away, until the lack of rest and the way he over-exerted his body getting to his destination finally caught up with him, and his mind became lost in an unnerving, fitful sleep.

./-/-/-/-/-/.

He wanted to stop running.

Every time his feet impacted with the ground, pain coursed through them, traveling up his legs and throughout his body. Every breath felt like needles in his lungs and throat. If he could just rest…

Yet he could not, and he was not sure why.

Something kept him from stopping, like a voice, words he couldn't discern. No matter how hard he strained his ears, no matter how far he ran, the words being spoken never became any clearer.

He closed his eyes, hoping for the pain, the exhaustion, everything to just fall away.

And then very clearly, his own name rang lucid throughout his own mind.

"Inuyasha!"

He jerked forward, knocking heads with whoever had woken him up. A large crash followed quickly after, along with a string of curses. Inuyasha rubbed his head where it had made contact with the other hard surface. After the pain had subsided enough that he thought he could stand without falling backwards, he took it upon himself to apologize to the old woman who had landed on her backside.

"Next time I won't wake you up!"

"Look, I said I was sorry."

The woman grumbled under her breath, but took his outstretched hand nonetheless. Her eyes widened as he easily lifted her to her feet; she noticed something that contrasted far more from his normal self than just being insecure.

"…You're shaking, boy."

Inuyasha stared at his hand; it refused to stay still.

"Damn dream," he mumbled. It was still too fresh in his mind, and it was making him read much too far into its meaning. He tried his best to contain the tremors, but they refused to cease.

Jinenji's mother looked at him, eyes softening greatly. Then with a deep breath, she regained her normal scowl and promptly smacked the hanyou on the shoulder. He looked up in surprise, glowering at the sudden violence she was exhibiting.

"Quit your worrying, dog-boy; your antidote's done."

"_Done? Already?"_

A glance at the sky outside revealed that dusk was no more than a few hours off, and any sleep that may have remained in his mind left immediately as he realized he had to make the trip back, and quickly.

"Twice a day should be enough, but no more than that."

She handed him the antidote, making his heart race with apprehension. He took a mental note of her directions, locking them away in a part of his mind where he knew he would not forget them. He tuckedthe tonicsafely away in his kimono.

Before leaving, he turned back to the old woman and Jinenji.

"Thank you. If…when he finally wakes up, I'll let him know he owes you."

"We're only doing our job," Jinenji replied.

"Now get going! You take up space."

Inuyasha nodded, understanding her inner meaning, and as quickly as he had arrived he bounded down the hill and out of the village, and soon became a small dot on the distant horizon.

"Good luck."

./-/-/-/-/-/-/.

A branch snapped soundly off of a tree, opening up the path before them. Miroku tossed the wood aside and proceeded to push away other smaller branches, making it easier for Sango to follow.

"This forest is very thick," he commented grudgingly as a branch slipped from his hand and whipped his shoulder.

"Perhaps the other direction would have been more clear," Sango reminded him. A few miles back they had come to a fork in the path, where Miroku used a process he said had lead him to meet up with Inuyasha and Kagome. He set his staff in the ground, let it fall to one side, and then chose the other. When she asked why he chose the other side, he laughed sheepishly, and she took it as another one of his perverted decisions. Nevertheless, she followed along with his method, and found that this is where they ended up.

"It looks bad at first, but it's a blessing in disguise," he assured. "Although a rather painful blessing."

"Exactly," she replied sarcastically.

The river, which still flowed to their right, was also tightly packed with foliage. The only way they could travel using it required them to get extremely wet, and getting wet was not on their list of things to do to find Rin. They proceeded to break away more obstructions and continued forward on their journey.

Five minutes later, a sudden friction in the air caused both traveling companions to stop in their tracks.

"Miroku, that's a huge demonic aura," Sango alerted him.

Miroku nodded. "I wonder what's gotten the demons worked-up."

They waited, cautious of the intense bloodlust the aura was emitting. Kirara mewed in warning, and Sango quickly realized what her concern was.

"The demons, they're headed for the village!"

"What about Rin?"

Kirara transformed, somehow managing the increase in size in the limited space. Sango climbed onto her back, turning to Miroku quickly with an outstretched hand.

"What would it matter if everyone was dead?!"

Miroku contemplated their options for a split second before joining the demon slayer on the feline's back. He braced himself as they broke through thick braches before they cleared the treetops, then looked back at the thick, green foliage that obscured any view of the ground, the reason they kept to it to find her. He swallowed his apprehension as they launched after the hoard. Rin would have to wait a bit longer; saving everyone in the village came first.

./-/-/-/-/-/-/.

Kagome sighed and replaced the cloth on Sesshomaru's forehead. She wiped her own sweat from her brow and leaned back against the wall.

"Inuyasha…"

She... no Sesshomaru needed him. The demon's fever had spiked, alarming her and Shippo. Hiro offered to stay with them for a while, just in case something came up, and she was very thankful of his propose. He now tended to the food over the fire, glancing worriedly in her direction every few minutes. He'd taken a liking to the young woman, and although he knew that she was probably taken by the hanyou clad in red, he couldn't help but find that he was concernedabout her.

Sesshomaru shifted in pain, whimpering from his increased fever. Kagome moved back away from the wall and soaked a clean rag to try to quell his fever once again. This time, however, he didn't relax.

"Please hold on. Inuyasha's coming, I swear. Just wait a little longer…"

Hiro placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure he's on his way."

Kagome could only nod.

The thatch opened and revealed the headman. Kagome looked up wearily before returning her tired gaze to the grousing demon. He squirmed once again under the man's gaze, and a prickling feeling in the air once again told Kagome something wasn't right.

"What is it, Headman?" Hiro questioned for the young woman.

"There is something unsettling in the air. The villagers are getting worried," he informed them.

Kagome jumped up as she recognized the feeling; bloodlust.

"Demons!" she warned them. The screams that followed confirmed her inkling, and she rushed out of the hut before them with her bow and quiver in tow. She glared at the sky before her eyes widened in fear. The hoard stretched across the vast horizon, mystic lights flashing as they approached. She raised her bow toward a few demons ahead of the pack.

"I will kill him before anyone!" one shouted.

"Sesshomaru is mine!" was another's angry reply.

"_Sesshomaru?!"_

She let her arrow fly, the holy aura that surrounded it destroying them as it passed.

"_They want Sesshomaru?!"_

* * *

**sorcerousfang: there. That about wraps up this chapter. Soryy if this one feels choppy. I think I was rushing to get it done for you guys. Jineji doesn't feel much like Jinenji either. Ah, well, at least it's here.**

**Sesshomaru: Great. I'm dying and now there are a thousand demons after me. Thanks.**

**sorcerousfang: anytime.**

**Sesshomaru: !?**

**sorcerousfang: look, Fluffy, I'm not exactly in the mood for arguing, so let's just drop it here and continue next chapter.**

**Review please. Can't promise when I'll update next, but I'll try as quickly as possible. Please stick with me.**

**Sesshomaru: …Hey, what's-**

**sorcerousfang: I'll tell you later.**


	7. Antidote

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...**

**sorcerousfang: boo! hey, I edited this chapter recently, so Sesshomaru wants to say something**

**Sesshomaru: ...**

**sorcerousfang: ...I thought you had something to say.**

**Sesshomaru: I did, but you had to have a good memory and mess everything up.**

**sorcerousfang: oh, well... Anywho, read on!**

* * *

Another arrow soared through the air, surrounded by the aura unique to the young priestess who shot it. Anger lashed around it as well, catching any demon in its path and severely wounding the lucky ones.

Kagome huffed and swung her bow around to make contact with one of the few ogres that had managed to get passed her. She wasn't quite sure how she was doing it, but her aura was responding to her anger much more than it ever had.

She liked it.

"Hyaaaa!" Hiro shouted as he brought his scythe down on a demon who attempted to get past his defenses. It dissipated as its body was cleaved in two.

"Lady Kagome, they want him!" he yelled over to her.

Her eyes narrowed as she took aim and fired another into the thick hoard.

"I know!" she shouted back. _"What I want to know is how the heck all these demons managed to find out he was incapacitated!"_

As she responded to the screams that had erupted behind her, she dug deep into her mind, trying to find one strand of the past events that could have any clue as to what was behind all of this madness; however, being in the middle of fighting for yours and about a hundred other people's lives made it hard to concentrate long enough to establish a connection between one thing and another. She tried to remember what the last thing she had been thinking about was as she was so rudely interrupted by a flock of winged demons. She knocked another arrow and sent them to their deaths.

The process of yelling, attempting to think about little details, and then forgetting everything that had just been reviewed in her head as someone either screamed, yelled, and/or alerted her that more demons were closing in went on until…

Crap.

"I need more arrows!" she cried, swinging her bow like a bat. She was cautious doing this; the bow could snap if she put too much pressure on it, but at the moment it was her only weapon. Normally, she was far above cursing, but in this sort of situation a colorful vocabulary seemed quite befitting. Inuyasha might have been proud, if not scared, by her choice of words.

"Go to hell, damn vermin!"

"Lady Kagome!"

She turned from her victims to the voice of the villager who was braving the montage to get a fully loaded quiver to the angry priestess. Her rage dissolved momentarily to thank the man, then she turned back to the demons, once again a deadly opponent as recognized by the wide-eyed looks of fear some of the smarter ones in the bunch were now giving her.

"Take this!" she yelled, releasing the arrow and her anger in one intensely pure aura of energy. It must have knocked out fifty from the ranks, but more filed in to take their place.

There was a yell to her right and she turned in time to see Tenmaru, who had come to join the frontline, and Hiro fending off what they could from getting too close to the hut where Sesshomaru was being housed. They were being overwhelmed.

She abandoned her position with a grunt of frustration after creating an opening for more villagers to escape, setting an arrow as she ran to their side. One demon crashed in through the wall, and a cry echoed inside it, but it wasn't one of fear. A blue glow emanated from the interior, and Kagome's alarm turned to relief as she recognized the blaze: fox fire.

"Lady Kagome, there's too many!" Tenmaru yelled, beating down a demon only half-way before two more were threatening his life. She fired her arrow above them, destroying some of the threat and showering them with the dust of their remains.

"Just keep fighting!"

A pulse of demonic power detonated somewhere from behind them, and she spun around only to be forced to the ground six feet further from where she once stood as an explosion of wood and dirt collided with her chest. She gasped as she opened her eyes, then screamed as she realized where the explosion had taken place.

"Shippo! Sesshomaru! No!" she cried to the cloud of dust that now billowed where the hut once stood. The ground was littered with shards of the wood that was once the hut's walls and she could make out the scars on the earth the explosion had caused as the dust began to dissipate. Tears welled in her eyes until they spilled over in a stream of grief. She just wasn't strong enough; that was all she could think for what seemed like hours of horrible self-loathing, until her brain registered that fragments were still raining down on the ground in front of her. Strange that there didn't seem to be any blood in the mess before her, but then everything felt strange at that moment. She had no clue how she was supposed to handle letting her friend die, and failing in her promise to keep the other alive.

Distant eyes looked up, and tears of sadness suddenly turned to tears of relief as the unnatural glow of demonic fire penetrated the dust. She jumped to her feet, ignoring the splinters in her flesh as she ran to the trembling fox demon hidden beneath the shield of his own fox fire. It too dissipated along with the dust, and Shippo, who just realized he had been holding his breath, gasped and tried to contain his body's trembling.

Kagome swallowed him up in a hug of relief.

"Shippo, you're alive!"

"I-I used my f-fox-fire to protect us from the d-demon, then everything e-exploded. Kagome, I was scared!"

"You did great, Shippo," she praised him, wiping away her tears.

"I'm sorry to break up this great reunion, but we have demon problems still!" Hiro warned them as he struck down a snake-like demon.

"We have to get Sesshomaru somewhere safer, Kagome! I think his fever's higher; he won't stop squirming around, and now that the hut is gone…"

Kagome nodded in understanding and knocked an arrow, aiming for the demons surrounding her helpers and letting it fly. Then Shippo's words registered in her head.

"_He won't stop squirming around…"_

She froze. Those words she knew were significant…somehow…

"_He squirmed under his gaze…prickling feeling in the air…"_

Then suddenly all of the pieces fell into place, interlocking the strands of memory she had been so desperately trying to review. He was the cause of all of this. He was responsible for the madness that had erupted in the village. He nearly had them killed.

He would be dead in the next five minutes.

"Hiro, Tenmaru, take Sesshomaru closer to the village! I'll have your backs!" she ordered, drawing her bow and glaring at the demons gathering for another assault.

"But won't that take the demons closer to the village?"

"There's no time to argue that," she growled. "I know who's behind all this, and once Sesshomaru's safe, I'll kill him!" she let loose her arrow, emphasizing her point.

"This way!"

They turned to the woman that had gestured to them, confused for a few moments before she urged them on again. The woman rushed them on, then dared a few steps closer to Kagome to address her.

"Your demon friend can stay at my home, Priestess. I am Kyojin's mother, Mieko. You know where to find me."

Kagome turned to her to smile briefly, but her features were overcome with fear as she took in the image of a demon that had escaped her as it hovered dangerously over her friends.

"Hiro, Tenmaru, above you!" she yelled, instinctively drawing an arrow she knew in the back of her mind would never reach them in time.

"Hiraikotsu!"

Surprise fogged her mind as she watched the boomerang bone fly through the air and split the demon in half as it swept its way back to its wielder. She shook it from her head and looked up to see Sango and Miroku on Kirara's back, both ready and able to fight off the remaining demons.

"Sango, Miroku! I'm glad you're here!"

"Are you alright, Kagome," she called as she guided Kirara toward the ground. "You're bleeding."

Kagome glanced at her arms. She would have a few splinters to take care of when this was over.

"I'm fine, but we have to take care of the demons."

"Why are so many here?" Miroku wondered aloud as he took in the now corpse-ridden land around him.

"They caught wind that Sesshomaru was weak enough that these lesser demons could kill him. Apparently his head is worth a lot."

"Where's Inuyasha?"

"He had to get an antidote. Sesshomaru's fever won't break until he gets some. Speaking of him, can we borrow Kirara for a minute? We have to bring him to a different place now; the hut was destroyed."

Sango nodded.

"I wonder how they found out…"

Kagome's anger was suddenly renewed. "Oh, that reminds me. I'm supposed to be destroying him."

Before Sango or Miroku could question who, Kagome had taken off toward the village, mind set on her goal. They shook their heads.

"Sango, I'll take care of the rest of these demons. You go ahead and make sure they all make it to the village in once piece."

She nodded sternly, then took Kirara and headed in the opposite direction.

Miroku faced the now smaller hoard of demons, right hand outstretched, prayer beads daggling in his left. He clamped his hand shut, waiting for the right moment to come.

"This is the end for you, demons! Wind Tunnel!"

The fierce winds of the endless vortex pulled them in, swiftly dragging the remaining into the darkness of the void in his hand. Funny how a curse could come in handy so many times he thought briefly. If only it wasn't killing him.

He closed off the winds as the last demon disappeared within it, nodding to himself for a job complete. He said a quiet prayer, a habit considering he was a monk; even demons deserved to rest peacefully. Then, quickly, he turned to catch up to Sango.

Sango was in the process of helping to take the smothering load off of the two men's backs and transferring him to Kirara when Miroku returned to her side.

"Steady, Kirara. He's going to be warm, but only until we reach the hut," she said in a voice that swayed with an undertone of sadness.

"How is he, Sango?" Miroku questioned quietly.

"Not good. All this moving around is spreading the poison like wildfire. I hope Inuyasha gets here soon with the antidote."

One of the men who had been carrying him introduced himself and his friend to the two, explaining that Kagome had recruited them to help bandage his wounds. Since they were never formally introduced, Miroku and Sango mimicked their introduction before continuing on toward the main village.

"You two couldn't have come at a better time," Hiro mused.

"Yeah," Tenmaru agreed. "How did you know to come?"

"We felt the demonic aura while we were searching. Kirara was actually the first to realize it was headed for the village, so we abandoned our hunt to come back," Sango explained.

"You came back awful quick. Didn't you leave yesterday?"

"Yes, but we were walking. You can't see the forest floor when you're flying on Kirara's back, so walking was our next best option."

"Searching for his companions?"

"Yes. Did Kagome fill you in?"

Hiro nodded. "But we're to keep it amongst ourselves, at least for the time being."

They fell silent after that, following the woman who had offered to put them up in her hut. The other villagers stared as the made their way into the main village, whispering among themselves about the cause of the demons attacking and the reason one of their own was allowing a demon to stay in her home. One man stepped out of the throng and boldly spoke out what some of the others were thinking.

"It's his fault the demon's came!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Sesshomaru.

Others who felt safer in numbers verbally agreed with him, until their words echoed through the small crowd.

"No appreciation for those who saved them, huh?" Miroku reflected.

The woman in front of them stopped short and turned to glare at the angry crowd.

"You want to blame all of your problems on a dying man?! It's not his fault he got this way, and it's not his fault they want him dead. Now show some appreciation to these people! If it wasn't for them, all of us would be dead and rotting in hell! Cowards."

They backed down at her words, a few of them catching the painful whimpers that came from the demon they were all blaming. Hiro looked to the crowd himself and addressed the lot of them.

"Instead of standing there, go start cleaning up! Get the wounded some help and patch up the fields. Get to work clearing those corpses; we don't want spoiled crops this season!"

His words made sense, and soon the able-bodied were hefting tools and carts all around them.

"Nice speeches. Thank you for your help," Miroku said.

"Not even a demon should have to put up with fools when he's in this condition," the woman spoke.

Miroku chuckled a little. "Mieko-san, was it? I'm sorry if I'm laughing. It's just that you remind me of a person we met a while ago."

"_It's almost like Jinenji's mom has a much younger and more beautiful twin," _he though sheepishly.

"Miroku, I know that look on your face. You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking," Sango threatened him warningly.

He froze his thoughts immediately.

Then a sudden crash caught their attention, and all heads turned.

./-/-/-/-/-/-/.

Kagome glared at him.

"You!" she shouted drawing her bow. She aimed the arrow right between his eyes. "You told the demons he was weak!"

"Now, now, Lady Kagome," the Headman stated smoothly. "What makes you think I would conspire with demons? I only have the village's greatest interests at heart."

"Don't give me that crap! You're a demon, too! That's why when we showed up no demons ever came! That why Sesshomaru hated it when ever you were in the hut! He was warning us that you were a demon, and now I can see why."

With each word she drew the string of the bow further back, until it was tight enough that she could feel the wood creaking with the pressure.

"Hehehe…priestess, you don't seem to understand. How could I, if I were a demon, live the life as a village headman?"

"Do you really think I'm so naïve that I don't know demons can take the form of humans? Sesshomaru looks human enough, but he's really a giant dog demon! Don't think that I don't know other demons can achieve such a transformation!"

"…True enough, but you still don't seem to understand why I would send demons after his life. Hehe, do you know how much the head of the dog general's son is worth? Do you know the glory it would bring to the demon that slays him? That explosion was supposed to distract everyone, but that damn kit had to use the shield of fox fire, and I couldn't get to him. To kill him…hehe…would give me ultimate power!"

His features contorted, revealing a mess of a demon that looked like it might have been a tiger a long time ago.

"_Ultimate power…god, where have I heard that one before?"_ she thought sarcastically before releasing her arrow and all of her pent-up anger in a single shot. It glowed fiercely as it soared through the air and exploded as it came in contact with the "headman's" body.

It screamed, whining about how all it wanted was ultimate power, then dissipated into dust that flowed away with the wind.

"…Crap. I can't think of a witty thing to say. What would Inuyasha say after defeating something like this…?"

She cleared her throat, attempted a poor impersonation of the hanyou, then gave up when she realized she had better things to do.

She raced through the village, heading for Kyojin's home and hoping that everything was alright. She stopped to tell some villagers that she wouldn't mind bandaging their wounds, considering she had just recently changed Sesshomaru's, just as soon as she saw to her own small ones. Tenmaru met her halfway to the hut, eyes reflecting a bit of worry.

"Hey, is everything alright, Lady Kagome? We heard a crash of some sorts."

Kagome nodded, proceeding to explain.

"Your headman was the one who sent those demons after Sesshomaru. In fact, he's the cause of your demon problems since before we came."

"The Headman?"

"He was a demon himself."

"You can't be serious. The headman was a demon?! But, why did he pose as the headman?"

"That I don't know. What I do know is that Sesshomaru's life is worth a lot to the demon community. Apparently it's 'glory to whoever claims his life' or so he had basically put it."

Speaking about the demon's reasoning made her angry again, so she stopped and just told him he was dust on the wind now, and that they didn't need to worry about demon problems again so long as the next headman they appointed wasn't his brother or something.

Tenmaru left her with the knowledge that they were now all in Mieko-san's house, and he went off to spread the news of the headman's true nature. Kagome rushed her way to the home of the woman who had so graciously thought to send food her way the night before, and entered to find her placing a wet rag across the demon's temple with no hesitation at all.

"Thank you, Mieko-san," she smiled, taking a seat beside her.

"No need to thank me. No one, not even a demon, should be in his condition without friends beside him."

She smiled again to hide her uncertainty that they were really considered friends.

"Now get yourself bandaged up; you still have your own wounds to take care of."

She nodded to the woman, digging through the bag she was suddenly thankful had been within Shippo's fox fire.

As she bandaged her small cuts and removed the splinters with a bit of help from Sango, she explained about the headman and his true intentions. Everyone in the hut was surprised except for Mieko, who looked as if she had known what Kagome was telling now.

"I never did trust that man," she stated pointedly when Kagome finished. "Always had a bad feeling about him."

"My mom has good insight when it comes to strangers," Kyojin said, smiling. "That's why she trusts you so much, because she knows you're not bad people."

"That's good to know," Miroku hummed.

"Oh, Kyojin, what have I taught you about flattery," she scolded him, though her face was clearly smiling through the faint blush that covered her cheeks.

A man poked his head in timidly, and Kagome jumped up with her box of medical supplies right on cue.

"I offered to bandage their wounds for them, if you don't mind, Mieko-san."

"No, no, go ahead. It'll just be crowded in here."

She apologized, then allowed the people in one at time to see to their wounds. Some men asked if the words of Tenmaru were true; that the headman truly was a demon in disguise, and she confirmed it with a description that was becoming repetitive to those curious of his nature. Others were completely silent, eyes fixed on Sesshomaru the whole time they were in the hut. Very few asked about his condition, and to them they were given the answer that he would be better once Inuyasha returned with the antidote.

One man entered with a look of guilt, and when Kagome noticed the glare that Hiro and the others were giving to him, she asked why. He didn't enter any further, but she could tell he was favoring his left leg.

"Umm… I'm sorry for blaming him. It was the Headman's fault, not his."

Sango quietly filled Kagome in, and she nodded.

"Well, you've apologized, so get in here. I'm not blind; your leg's been hurt."

He apologized again as she bandaged it, and she told him it was normal to think like that, especially since the demons truly were after him. When he asked why, Kagome said it was simply because he was a strong demon, and they thought that killing him would make them strong.

The man left a bit happier than he had been when he had entered, and left them with hopes that their demon friend would heal soon.

Tenmaru entered shortly after, and upon observing that Kagome was tending to one of the villagers, he commented in surprise.

"Taking care of wounded and a dying demon, are we?"

"At least I have some help from Mieko-san now."

"And our help wasn't enough?"

"Hey, now, I didn't say that!"

"I'm just messing with you. I've actually come for Hiro. There are some villagers who would like to talk about something with you."

Hiro stood up, pausing as he noticed the smile that played on Tenmaru's features.

"I'll be back then."

The last villager that asked to be bandaged followed him out, leaving the rest of them to wonder what was going on now.

Miroku and Sango proceeded to explain what they had found, and that a mizudoubutsu was probably responsible for his condition. Kagome was relieved that it wasn't Naraku's doing; she didn't think it was him, but the reassurance made her feel better. She wished she could have told Inuyasha that was what caused it.

After about a half an hour of discussion, Sango stood and stretched.

"Kagome, Miroku and I should head back out. We need to find Rin."

"Sure. Good luck out there you guys."

They left her with a wave and a promise to slay any other demons they came across so they wouldn't make it to the village.

Kagome sat in silence for a while, massaging one of the cuts on her arm that had been made by what looked like an extra large piece of wood. It was sore now, and she worried it would affect her ability to bandage Sesshomaru's wounds when the time came that they would need changing. A long sigh escaped her.

Mieko turned to her, question holding her eyes as she addressed her.

"Lady Kagome, have you given him any water since you found him?" she asked.

Kagome suddenly felt worried as she stood and made her way to her side.

"To be truthful, I hadn't even thought about it. I've been so focused on his wounds…"

"Well then let's see what we can do about that."

Kagome blushed lightly, embarrassed as she admitted that she had never actually tried to administer water or even medicine to someone who was unconscious. It was always Kaede or someone else who had that capability who had done that. Mieko shook her head, saying she would teach her then, and she suddenly seemed to acquire a very motherly air about her.

Kagome listened intently as she explained what needed to be done to make someone swallow and the proper way to hold them and the amount of water to give them each time. Then she watched in awe as she slowly lifted him onto her lap, cradling his head in the crook of her arm as she situated herself. With one hand she dipped the ladle in the water, filling it only enough that she could give the whole spoonful to him without causing him to choke. Her other hand she turn in such a way that she could massage his throat.

"You have to be gentle doing this, because if you put too much pressure on his neck it could cause him to choke on any water or medicine you try to give him."

Without any hesitation, she ladled the water into his mouth and made him swallow it. Kagome was amazed by how gentle she was, and by how little she seemed to think of him as a demon. He looked more like a child in her arms than anything now.

"Now it's your turn."

./-/-/-/-/-/.

Inuyasha raced along the grass like everything depended on his return, and it did, which made him run even faster. He could smell the village in the distance, a comforting scent that almost made him want to slow down.

It was a good thing it did for a few moments because out of nowhere he picked up the sound of something being squished.

"…Squish?"

Then to his great relief he heard the tiny voice of his oh-so-cowardly retainer coming from below his foot. He snatched him off of the ground without wasting a moment, opting to explain while he ran rather than stopping and wasting precious time.

"Master Inuyasha! What's the rush?" the flee cried from between his fingers.

"There's no time to explain. We have to get to the village; we need your help!"

"My help," he asked, bewildered. "Why me?! You never need my help!"

"It's Sesshomaru. He's-!"

The flee was squirming in his hand now, trying to break free from his iron grip but to no avail.

"Myoga, listen, I'm not finished! He's dying!"

That stopped his struggle effectively.

"…What?"

"You heard me! Sesshomaru's been poisoned by something that he couldn't counter. We found him just before we left the village, and now Kagome and Shippo are looking after him until I get back there with this antidote! You have to help! There's only so much human medicine can do, and you might be his only hope!"

He launched himself further along, his sense of urgency renewed. Myoga was silent now, as if he couldn't think of the words to say that would express how much he didn't believe him.

"Look, Myoga, after you help you can run away, I don't care. Just stay with me long enough to save him."

Myoga stared at him, disbelieving, but the plain fear that rested in the hanyou's eyes forced him to agree. He had never seen Inuyasha so distraught in his life. To think that the brother that had always wanted him dead could spark such intensity in his eyes…perhaps Inuyasha could never force himself to feel the same way.

Inuyasha caught something in the air that unsettled him deeply, and when he recognized the scent as blood and demons, his instincts moved his feet faster than he thought possible.

He was quickly over the hill that he had left from, and there he froze for the first time since he left. From where he stood his wide eyes could take in the devastation of the village. Corpses littered the ground, villagers seemed disheveled, and as his eyes turned toward where he had once been staying, fear gripped his senses. The remains of what was the hut were charred and shattered, except for one spot where sheets were still laying in the spot where his brother had once laid. Hope seemed distant as he told his feet to move.

He suddenly wished he hadn't wanted everyone to know.

"…Kagome, where are you…" he whispered. Myoga assumed the village outskirts hadn't looked like this when Inuyasha had left. "Kagome!"

He ran into the village, dodging surprised villagers as his mind ran frantically over reasons and outcomes, until a strong-armed man slowed him.

"Whoa, hey, Lady Kagome and the demon are fine."

He stared at him with eyes filled with relief.

"Where are they?"

"The second hut on the right. You can't miss it, since that's where the crowd keeps gathering."

Inuyasha quickly thanked him and pushed his way through the crowd and into the hut and was met with the sight of a woman showing Kagome the process of trying to get an unconscious demon to drink water.

"Now move your hand here."

"Like this?"

"That's right."

"And then…oh! Inuyasha!"

She would have jumped up in embarrassment, except for the fact that it was Sesshomaru on her lap and he was in no condition to be thrown, as well as the slight possibility that he was aware of what was going on and would hold it against her for the rest of his life (obviously his would be much longer). She was relieved to see him, though, and did the next best thing.

"I'm so glad you're back, Inuyasha. You wouldn't believe-"

"What happened? You're hurt," he interrupted her, coming to her side to examine the bandages on her arms and legs.

"The headman of the village turned out to be the demon behind all of the attacks before we came. He saw Sesshomaru and decided to tell the other demons in the area that he was here and an easy target. Sango and Miroku noticed the demons, too, and they came back to help. Sesshomaru's fine, although no better than he was. Mieko's putting us up until he's better, and she trying to help me get water down him and…"

Inuyasha just shook his head.

"Tell me later. Right now we should get him the antidote," he stated, pulling it out of his haori. Myoga jumped off of his shoulder and onto the floor next to the squirming priestess.

"Myoga?" she questioned, astonished that the cowardly flee was actually within two feet of Sesshomaru.

"Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, to see you like this…" he whined, blowing his nose in his tiny handkerchief. "It just reminds me of your father!"

Inuyasha stared at him for several minutes, reminding himself that Myoga had been there when their father had died, and that Sesshomaru must resemble him more than himself since he was a full demon. Kagome's voice cut him from his thoughts.

"We shouldn't waste any time. Myoga, can you try to get as much of the poison out of his blood stream as possible?"

Myoga nodded, but the look in his eyes told them he had never gone near Sesshomaru for as long as he could remember, let alone be so bold as to drink his blood. After a few moments of what looked like self assurance, he hopped onto his neck and grew about seven times his original size in the process of drawing the out poison.

"That's as much as I can do. The antidote will have to do the rest."

Mieko offered to mix it since Kagome was still occupied with the demon on her lap. Inuyasha knelt down beside her, eyeing his brother as he responded to Myoga's actions by wincing and squirming. His efforts were weak, though, and Inuyasha had to shift his attention elsewhere while he calmed his unorganized emotions. His eyes rested on the bandage wrapped around her arm, but he withheld his questioning until after the antidote was in his system.

"Here you go," Mieko said, handing Kagome the bowl. "You remember what I was telling you, right?"

Kagome nodded sternly. "Yes."

Inuyasha watched her ease the solution down his throat with some awe, only reaching out when he tried to refuse it.

"This will help, I promise," Inuyasha said under his breath, rolling over the possibility of the solution tasting as horrid as it smelled. He soothed his hair away from his face, a strange gesture he had once seen Kagome do to comfort Shippo. It seemed to make him relax. "I promise."

* * *

**sorcerousfang: Well, this one wasn't so cliff-hanger-ish, so I hope this helps those of you who wait on me to hold out for a while until the next chapter.**

**Sesshomaru: I'm getting the antidote, I'm getting the antidote! **

**sorecerousfang: …Are you singing?**

**Sesshomaru: …hey, you would sing too if you were finally going to wake up after being half-dead for seven chapters.**

**sorcerousfang: technically speaking, you've only been out since chapter three…**

**Sesshomaru: That's still a long time!**

**sorcerousfang: …anywho, aside from fluffy's little dance over there –**

**Sesshomaru: Hey!**

**sorcerousfang: I hope this chapter satisfies you all to some degree. Everything should be winding down and wrapping up…of course, you never know when I might hit you with another *cough*cliffhanger*cough***

**Look forward to seeing you next chapter!**

**(sorcerousfang: oh, and for those of you who read this before and reread it and noticed Sesshomaru's dance being a little different, well that's because I replaced the old chapter with an edited version, and accidently forgot to add this back on to it, so I had to do this by memory. Needless to say, Sesshomaru was quite happy his dance had been deleted; at least until he found out my memory was good.**

**Sesshomaru: Curse you…**

**sorcerousfang: hehe ^^ If you remember anything I missed that you thought was funny before, let me know in your review, okay?**

**Sesshomaru: No, don't listen to her.**

**sorcerousfang: …You know, Sesshomaru, I could always change the story so that your little antidote doesn't work and you die.**

**Sesshomaru: …Tell her what she missed so I can escape this hell-hole.**

**sorcerousfang: Good boy.**

**Sesshomaru: **_**help me, dear lord…**_**)**


	8. Strange Trust

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Why? Because Rumiko Takahashi was a genius. That's why.**

**sorcerousfang: oh my god, am I actually updating?**

**Sesshomaru: after months of staring at your comupter with writer's block, yes.**

**sorcerousfang: were you watching me? creeper.**

**Sesshomaru: I am not-! Oh, damnit, I was just waiting for you to make me wake up already!**

**sorcerousfang: oh fine, whatever. Enjoy this chapter! it might be a while again ^^;**

* * *

Two days later, he opened his eyes.

It wasn't for long, and he didn't say anything though Kagome tried asking him how he was feeling, but it was a start. Everyone was visibly relieved when his fever calmed down a few degrees and his breathing evened out as he slept, which was all he really did as of yet. He was still closely monitored, of course; Kagome insisted on it for reasons she refused to explain to Inuyasha. Myoga was even sticking around inside the hut, but no one could guarantee he would still be there when Sesshomaru recovered enough to be fully conscious.

Inuyasha refused to leave again, so he stayed beside his brother until Mieko told him he was in the way of her giving him water and he smelled like he needed fresh air. After that, the furthest he went was outside the door of the hut to shoo away the annoying crowds.

Now all they needed was to have Miroku and Sango bring back Rin and all would be well.

./-/-/-/-/-/.

Rin stopped in her footsteps, gazing up passed the tops of the trees above her.

"Rin," Jaken called, "this no time to be spacing out. We still have to find Lord Sesshomaru."

"…I know, Master Jaken, but…do you feel that?" she asked, eyes trained on the green leaves that swayed with the strange breeze, parting to reveal the bright noon sunlight.

Jaken followed her gaze, stiffening as he began to fear what Rin might be feeling was a demonic aura. But what he soon picked up on was no demonic aura. It was something stranger, something he couldn't interpret.

"What could it be…?" he wondered.

"…I…I think Lord Sesshomaru is okay. Something just tells me he's safe."

Jaken turned his attention back to the young girl to find a confident smile spread across her features. She was suddenly very sure of her intuition, more sure than she had been in the past few days, and the cheerfulness she usually displayed seemed to return all at once. Whatever that feeling was she had discovered, it seemed to tell her that their lord was not in danger.

"Well of course he's okay, Rin! This is Lord Sesshomaru we're talking about!"

Rin laughed. It was like her normal, childish laugh; he didn't realize how much he actually liked listening to that echo in his ears.

"You're right, Master Jaken."

His surprise about his sudden liking of the kid's laugh vanishing, Jaken went on about how he was always right when it came to Sesshomaru, but Rin, who had heard this speech a million and one times, paid no attention to it. Instead she watched a brightly colored bird as it danced through the air, the red of its wings glowing like fire as it sang and twirled. It landed on the branch of a nearby maple, casting its gaze down to her and tilting its head ever-so-slightly. It then extended one of its wings in a brilliant gesture, calling out in a beautiful song before it flew down the path.

"_Does it want me to follow it?"_ she wondered.

"…and so because I have been with Lord Sesshomaru for so long, it is only natural that I should…hey, Rin? Rin, where are you going?!"

"Come on, Master Jaken, this way!" she called over her shoulder as she led Ah-Un by the reigns down the path the scarlet bird had taken. She wasn't sure if it was a demon or not, but for some reason, just like with the wind, something beckoned her to trust it.

"_Please lead us to Lord Sesshomaru, bird. Please…"_

After a couple of hours, Rin had transitioned to Ah-Un's back, her feet tired of being pricked by twigs and dead leaves. The bird still darted in and out of the foliage, weaving them about through trees and around bushes. Jaken still did not seem to notice that they had a guide, instead following Rin's surprising assurance of the direction they were heading in and the confidence she displayed with each flick of the reigns. He only questioned her once, but it was deafened by her giving the two-headed dragon a command at the same time, which effectively drowned out his inquiry and spread it to the deaf forest around them.

Jaken's self-assurance in Rin's control was something he wasn't quite used to as of yet, though they had been traveling on her whim for a few hours now. He passed it off as something that had spawned from his ever-increasing worry about the wellbeing of their lord; even when he had been nearly struck down by his half-demon brother he had not taken so many days to be found. In fact, if his memory served well, it had only been a few nights. They were pushing a good week with this trek.

He sighed worriedly, concern filling every contour of his mind and shadowing the pain of hunger in his stomach.

Rin kept her eyes on the bird, directing Ah-Un left if it veered left and right if it tipped its wings in the same direction. She didn't want to lose sight of it. Every time it swerved behind a tree, her heart pounded or skipped a beat, fearing it was out of sight for good. Every time, though, she would always catch the bird's bright wings around the corner. This pattern soon became so repetitive that Rin was beginning to predict the bird's movements, and she once or twice turned before it leaned.

A low growl sounded from her abdomen.

She was uncertain about stopping for food now, considering how far they had come, but the hunger pains in her stomach were threatening to make her double over in pain. Ah's head swiveled back in concern while Un's kept watching the bird it had finally noticed they were following. Rin shook her head, signaling that she would be fine and that they need not worry about her. The dragon grunted, and the look that crossed the young girl's eyes made them aware she had realized that they had shot that back at her sarcastically. She shook her head again, letting them know that, whether they liked it or not, she was going to keep going.

The dragon stopped.

Rin was about to yell at them to get back up when she noticed the bird sitting quietly on a branch of a tree just above them. It had stopped as well, and she watched it as it settled down as if to rest. She smiled.

"Master Jaken, do you mind if we stop for some food?" she asked as she turned to him.

Jaken gave her a strange look and mentally shrugged his shoulders.

"Well you're the one that wanted me to follow you, silly human girl. If you want to stop for dinner, well you're in charge, but only for now!" He added the last part quickly, making certain that she understood that she was only a temporary leader, and that he was just allowing her the privilege.

Rin nodded and hopped off of the dragon, more than ready to search for food. Her stomach let out another growl, causing her to glare down at it and silently tell it to shut up before it scared off all of the food. Thus began her search.

Between her and Jaken, they had caught two lizards, found a couple of handfuls of berries, and trapped a rabbit. The meat was cooked thoroughly, letting a sweet, mouth-watering aroma fill the air around them. They ate rather silently though, Rin glancing up at the bird every now and then while she chewed, just to be sure it was still there. It cocked its head at her reassuringly the last time, making her smile.

A sudden thought struck the young girl as she took in what surrounded her. Her shoulders dropped as she thought, and hoped, that her sudden change in mood didn't mean she might be right.

"What's wrong, Rin?"

Jaken's voice broke her from her thoughts suddenly, and she looked up in surprise. He seemed genuinely concerned for a moment before he bit into his food once again, and she shook her head thoughtfully at the change.

"I was just thinking, is all."

"About…?" he urged through a mouthful of rabbit meat.

Rin twisted the stick her food had once been on in her hand, not prepared to voice her concern just yet.

"…I just…I was thinking, and I suddenly though that...well, I know Lord Sesshomaru's okay, but…I was hoping he wasn't alone."

Jaken stopped mid-bite and looked up at the girl. She didn't seem like she was worried, but she looked fretful all the same.

"I mean, I know he goes off to battles by himself most of the time," she continued, "but since he's hurt, I just hope he isn't all by himself. I was just thinking about how nice it was that we're working together, and you helped me when I was hurt, and then I thought about Lord Sesshomaru…"

Jaken had to take a minute to consider the right words, and when he finally did he hoped she would understand even though she was a human child. She seemed to comprehend their lord pretty well, but she was still human, and humans saw things differently than demons did on a regular basis.

"Rin, Lord Sesshomaru is a proud demon. He wouldn't want to be around people if he was hurt. It's like someone who doesn't want to show their weakness. To demons, being seen hurt or weak is shameful. I know that seems weird to you, but that's the way it works for us," he explained, closing his eyes as if he were reading the words from his mind.

"…You mean, like, if someone heard your worst secret?" she ventured, trying to wrap her mind around the idea. She still couldn't really see the logic in it, but she wanted Jaken to know she understood what he was saying.

"Yeah, kinda like that."

Rin thought back to the evening when she had seen that pale light streak across the sky and had followed it to find a wounded demon where it had been. She remembered splashing his face with the water she had with her, something she would never think to do again, and all the food she had brought for him that was left uneaten. Lord Sesshomaru had told her he didn't want her help those few days he was resting against that tree outside of the village that had adopted her, and back then she refused to listen to those words. No one, human or demon, should be ignored when they're hurt, at least those were her thoughts then. Truthfully, she believed that he just didn't want to ask for help since she was only a child, but she also believed that somewhere in his mind he was thanking her when she came.

"…I still wouldn't want to be alone, though," she said, reminding the imp that she was very human, even though she trusted her demon companions more than she would a common villager. "If you were hurt, would you want to be alone, Master Jaken?"

Jaken couldn't answer that. He was afraid he would contradict everything he had just said. Instead, he opted to shift the focus from him to Sesshomaru once again, hoping that she would forget he dodged the question in favor of another subject.

"Lord Sesshomaru doesn't get hurt often, Rin. When he does, it annoys him because it makes him feel weak. After he heals, he sometimes goes back up against what hurt him so he can prove that he isn't. Inuyasha is a good example of that… although they don't seem to fight with the intent of killing the other so much now…"

Rin nodded her head, then decided a slight change in subject was in order since Jaken had so obviously dodged her question.

"Master Jaken, do you know why Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha don't get along so well? They are brothers, after all. My brothers and I used to fight over little things, but we always made up later."

Jaken reacted quite surprised, making her feel like she missed something evident.

"Why should they get along?! Inuyasha is a half-breed, you silly human!"

Whether Sesshomaru would have allowed him to speak about his relationship with his half-brother, Jaken wasn't quite sure. What he did know, though, was that this was the perfect opportunity to make the girl understand.

"…So it's just because he's half-human, then? There's no other reason?" she questioned, confused. Why did being half-human make any difference?

"Of course there are more reasons, but it's mostly because he's the embodiment of his father's mistake," Jaken answered matter-of-factly.

"But I'm all human, and Lord Sesshomaru doesn't hate me," Rin vocally pondered, making Jaken stiffen.

"…"

Jaken had to contemplate that reasoning for a minute. True, what his lord had passively told him so many years ago did seem to contradict his actions now.

"…Well, you're an exception, for some reason."

"He also helped me and Miss Kagome escape that creepy man's castle back when you had to help fight all those undead guys."

"…Well, I don't know! Maybe Lord Sesshomaru changed his mind at some point, but that's just the way it is. And besides that, Inuyasha got the Tetsusaiga and all Lord Sesshomaru got was the Tenseiga. And Inuyasha cut off Lord Sesshomaru's left arm!" he explained quickly, trying to keep himself from doubting the words his lord had once said.

"Inuyasha cut off Lord Sesshomaru's arm?" Rin parroted, more than a little shocked at the knowledge. She had realized that someone had removed it somehow, but she never thought the two brothers hated each other _that _much. And Inuyasha never seemed like he hated him; any time Rin had see them confront each other, the dog-eared hanyou just seemed defensive, like he was nervous around their lord.

Jaken proceeded to explain the events of the day, right up until the word transform half escaped from his lips. He stopped abruptly in his story, fixing his eyes on the ground in front of him.

"…Then Lord Sesshomaru what, Master Jaken? What happened next?" she asked quickly, interested in the events. She couldn't be sure if Jaken was glorifying it like he seemed to have a habit of doing when he told stories, but she wanted to know, even if it was only one side of the event.

Jaken, for his part, was quietly biting his tongue. A sudden, very vivid image of Sesshomaru telling him he would have his body strewn across the fields of Musashi if he spilled a word about his true form to the young girl was playing in his mind multiple times, and it got scarier and scarier with each repeat. He was forced to modify his recollection of the day, and as smoothly as possible spilled out his reformed words.

"…Lord Sesshomaru grabbed Inuyasha and took the battle outside, and that's when he brought his sword down on him. He didn't get a chance to dodge, and he lost his arm. While he was distracted, Inuyasha struck him again, making him fall over the edge. He left after that, and I had to search for him for a couple of days because he had left me behind."

Rin wasn't sure she believed him. His attitude had changed drastically. He was no longer angry, but he seemed nervous, and she wasn't sure it was because he was uncertain about telling her their lord had lost a battle. Whatever the case, she decided to accept that, and she didn't let on that she had her doubts. Instead of questioning him, she nodded silently in agreement.

"Now, Rin, don't think that because Lord Sesshomaru lost his arm means he's any less strong! He's still stronger than any other demon, got it?"

Rin smiled, knowing the two other meanings hidden behind those words. Jaken wanted another subject change, and he wanted to remind her that their lord was fine, where ever he might be.

Rin stood then and stretched, causing Ah-Un to tilt their heads curiously.

"Master Jaken," she started as she glanced up to where the bird was, finding that the scarlet bird was awake and aware that she was going to move again. "I think we should search some more before it gets too dark."

Jaken glanced at the sky, or where the sky would be if all the trees weren't in the way. As the wind blew the branches, he caught glimpses of the darkening heavens. Rin was right in wanting to get a move on; tomorrow would mark six days.

That was when Jaken noticed the peculiar red bird nestled in the branches of one of the large oaks that towered above them. It tilted its head in his direction, causing him to blink; it seemed to understand his confusion. As if to relieve his mind of the strange thoughts that came with seeing it, it spread its wings and took off, straight down the path that Rin had been contemplating whether or not they should take while making sure their lord's fighting sword was still secure on the dragon's saddle (they had picked it up off of the bank of the lake). The sudden assurance in her steps made him realize she was following it. No wonder she seemed so certain.

Strangely, Jaken didn't find himself concerned about the fact that Rin seemed to have been following the bird for half the day. What struck him as even more odd was the way he trusted the crimson bird, and though in the back of his mind he was suddenly concerned that the bird could very well be a demon leading them into a trap, for some reason his feet kept moving. He prayed it wasn't some sort of spell, but then he supposed if it actually was then he wouldn't be thinking that he was under one. Spells had a way of leaving you confused and struck with amnesia, neither of which he thought would be the outcome of their trust.

At least, he _hoped_ they wouldn't be the outcome of their trust.

Rin watched the bird weave gracefully in and out of the branches of the trees. Following it seemed even easier now, considering her mind was no longer half-focused on the hunger that had once settled in her stomach. She had complete confidence in their guide now, knowing somehow, someway, it would lead them in the direction they had to go.

Night fell in the forest quicker than the group had predicted, so when Ah-Un grunted their annoyance about not being able to see where they were putting their feet ‒ at least that was how Rin interpreted it ‒ they stopped where they were and began to gather what they could for a fire. Rin thought she could smell the musty scent of rain drifting through the forest, so in the middle of their search she suggested they move under the thicker branches of a pine tree. That done, they returned to their task quietly.

Her mind wandering, the young human absently grabbed at twigs and sticks that littered the forest floor. She smiled as she turned her thoughts positive, imagining once again the reunion she had thought up in her head the night around the fire when Jaken had convinced her that worrying wasn't going to help anyone. She tucked her load under her arm for a moment, shifting the cloth that Jaken had tied around her arm. Her wound had scabbed over a little while ago, but she had decided to keep it on for a while yet, just because it was solid proof that Jaken did do some things for her. She tightened it a bit by pulling one end with her hand and the other with her teeth, just to make sure it didn't fall off.

The small amount of twisting she had to do in order to complete her other task loosened her grip on the bundle, causing the sticks to fall to the ground. She sighed and picked them up, making sure beforehand that she didn't have to do anything else that would make them fall. Water splattered onto her arm and she looked up, aiming to see if she could tell if it was raining above the many branches, but she stopped short as her gaze fell on something else. The sticks fell from her arms.

In the bushes, a pair of gleaming red eyes stared back at her.

./-/-/-/-/-/.

Heavy eyes opened, taking in surroundings blurred by sickness and the shadows of a cool, rainy night. Pale light reflecting off of the droplets cascaded into the hut through the window on his right, illuminating just slightly the forms of small bowls and another living being within his field of vision. He could smell something of herbs and strange remedies around to his left, and blood, his own blood, tainted by a vile sludge that slowed it and caused his body to ache brilliantly.

Sesshomaru waited until his vision focused as much as he thought it would before he attempted to push himself up into a sitting position, but his limbs felt heavy and weak, and pain shot though his side and various other areas of his chest as soon as the skin and muscles beneath them stretched with the effort. He took a deep, broken breath, biting back the pain that coursed though him and forcing himself to bare it until he could lean on his knees, if, of course, he could manage to bring those up at all.

As soon as he was able to bring himself up, a cool, wet weight fell into his lap. He drew another shuddering breath as he tried to steady himself without help from his arm, and after he managed to do so, he took the limp object in his hand and brought it up to a distance his eyes could somewhat focus on.

"_A rag…"_

That must have been the first coherent thought he had had in a long time because it felt strange to hear his own voice so clearly in his mind. Vague images he assumed to be memories played slowly behind his eyes, but he could not grasp any of them for very long before they faded into another, more cloudy illustration. He turned his gaze to his surroundings, resting it somewhat hazily on the sleeping form across the hut. He couldn't tell who it was – the hut was too dark and his vision still horribly blurry – just that it was someone lost in the confines of dreamland and that their bedding choice looked unusual.

His senses, such as they were, frustrated him. The scents he could pick up were limited to what was three feet or less from him. Because of that, he couldn't discern whether the other being in the hut with him was human or demon, male or female, old or young. That, coupled with the fact that he could barely see and was in more pain than he could ever remember, made him tighten his hand around the rag in irritation, until something in his mind made him decide to shift his concentration to assessing his wounds before the pounding in his head became less than bearable.

He remembered that he had been battling something…something wet, and big, but as far as what really happened during the battle, or how in god's green earth he had ended up in the condition he was in now, he couldn't recall. He knew something was missing, too, but he couldn't think of what it could be. Some fragments of the battle were clear, however; the loud screeches that deafened his ears, water surrounding him, even the origin of his wounded side. He glanced down at it, seeing it was now carefully bandaged by attentive hands, hands he wished he knew the owner of. He ran his fingers over it experimentally, curious about the numbness and the strange bandages that dressed most of his upper body. A few strange bandages clung to other areas he knew wounds to be, and they did not move even as he experimented with moving his arm. He frowned as he felt them pull on his skin, as if they were stuck there, and then decided not to worry about what they really were in favor of heeding the screams of his protesting arm. The sore spots disagreed with his muscle movement quite loudly in his head, so he resorted to a mental quest for answers.

One thing he was certain of was the obvious fact that he was feverish, which probably accounted for half of his troubled senses. He could tell that his temperature was higher than what would be considered normal for him from the sweat that trickled down his forehead, and the breath that collided with his chest now that his head was resting on his knees was far too warm, another indicator that something had gone horribly wrong during the battle. He wouldn't be going anywhere for a while, he realized, and if he tried now he would probably only get as far as the door before collapsing again. His head spun at the idea, adding emphasis to his thoughts.

He shifted so that his head was resting in the crook of his arm rather than directly on his knee, and he took deep breaths as he tried to calm the pounding in his head and chest. Though the idea of needing help annoyed him to a degree, he was somewhat thankful to who ever had brought him here. The way he was now made him concerned about how he must have been before, and he supposed he may have been saved from certain death.

He lifted his head after the period of lightheadedness subsided, glancing again at the sleeping form across the hut. He probably shouldn't have sat up; his vision was worse than it had been when he had first opened his eyes. Blinking away the dark spots, he tried to pick out features in the dark. If only the lighting was better…

The thatch to the hut opened then and he suddenly knew who else occupied the hut, not just because a flash of lightning illuminated the girl for a moment, but because of the red-clad hanyou now standing in the doorway, dripping wet from the rain outside.

"…Inu…yasha?"

Up until now he hadn't noticed that his throat, too, was sore, because his voice came out raspy to his ears. And even at this distance he found it hard to see him clearly, let alone smell his unique scent beneath the rain that splattered his clothing, but he knew it was him. Somehow, that helped him relax. He supposed it was because of his weakened state, but for now he felt an awkward trust in his half-sibling.

"Sesshomaru! You're awake!"

Relief.

Sesshomaru was taken aback; he had never seen an emotion like that in the hanyou's eyes, nor had he ever heard it in his voice. He was _glad _he was okay; gladhe was awake, at least. He was happy, as opposed to the way he reacted every time they had seen each other before, where they would proceed to fight, be it verbally or physically.

Had he really been so close to death that even his half-brother…?

His thoughts were stopped short when Inuyasha moved around to his side, sliding a few bitter-scented bowls out of his way so he could sit down. When he finally did, he turned his gaze back up to him, and instead of relief, worry gathered in his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" he asked seriously, lowering his voice so he wouldn't wake the others he knew to be in the house.

"…Like shit," he managed to say clearly, which made Inuyasha smile for a brief moment. He'd never heard the demon say something so blunt without sarcasm woven into his voice.

"Well, at least shit is better than dead. What the hell happened to you?"

_Dead _wasn't exactly something Sesshomaru wanted to think about, so he decided against questioning what his condition was previously. Truth be told though, he didn't quite have an answer himself as to what had occurred. His gaze shifted to the floor – telling the hanyou he had lost, even if that was quite obvious, didn't sit well in his chest – and he tried to think of the right words. When he came up with generally nothing, he found his mouth saying as much.

"…Something attacked us…no, it attacked Rin, and I went after it, in the water. I remember being hit, feeling numb, weak. After that…" His voice trailed off, unable to answer.

"You don't remember?" Inuyasha questioned, eyes softening. It looked to him like his brother was trying to force the memories into his mind, and was frustrated to come up with nothing.

"They're too vague, the images I get back," he explained hoarsely.

Then shock ran through his body, freezing the blood in his veins. He suddenly remembered who he had forgotten, and he couldn't believe that face had ever left his mind in the first place.

"Where's Rin?"

Inuyasha let out a held breath; Sesshomaru's sudden apparent shock had sent a wave of fear coursing through him. He turned to fill a tin cup with water and offered it to him as he explained, hoping that he could help quell the roughness in his voice.

"Miroku and Sango are looking for her as we speak. I've no doubt she's fine, so you don't have to worry."

He hesitated to take the cup.

"…How did you know?"

"You mean to look for her? You…well, you sorta asked for her. You probably don't remember; you were in pretty bad shape when we found you, and all you said was 'Rin' so I just assumed we needed to find her. Miroku and Sango left here about three days ago now, but – "

Sesshomaru chocked on empty air.

"Three days?!"

Inuyasha dropped the cup, letting it clatter loudly to the floor as his hands shot out to aid him. Sesshomaru didn't protest, mainly because he was still coughing, but also because he was shocked. And frightened. He had been unconscious for days, and Rin was out there somewhere, possibly alone, at the mercy of any demon in that forest. Any demon that his presence alone had kept away before could get her now. She could be dead.

"Hey, are you okay? Sesshomaru? Say something, or nod, or…or something."

Sesshomaru heeded the concerned hanyou's request by nodding slowly as he tried to suppress the convulsions.

"How long…?" he asked quietly when his breathing was finally more comfortable.

Inuyasha realized quickly that he wasn't asking him to repeat how long ago the duo had left, but how long he had been out. He hesitated though; considering his reaction a moment ago, he was afraid there would be a similar result if he were to say.

"…Answer me, Inuyasha."

The commanding tone that should have went along with that order was gone, replaced with something more pleading, desperate, even. Inuyasha's eyes fell downcast, away from the emotions in the eyes that mirrored his own. They shouldn't have been there, not like that. He found his mouth working as he tried to keep the image of those eyes from burning into his memory, and at the same time keep his own emotions in check.

"…Five. We found you five days ago, in the river, but…God only knows how long you were there before that. I…I thought you were dead, and when I realized you weren't, I knew you were dying. Honestly…it was the most frightening thing I'd ever seen, seeing you of all…of all people, just lying there like nothing was wrong and damn it I'm supposed to hate you! But I saw you like that and I panicked. Nothing was right anymore. My brother was dying and I didn't know why…"

Sesshomaru just stared at him, unable to think of any words to that. Learning how long he had been unconscious or how close he had been to death's door didn't matter for a moment. Inuyasha had been truly frightened, scared.

…Scared for him.

And then his last few words bounced off of his mind. It was the last thing he had expected to hear come from the hanyou's mouth.

Brother. He had called him brother without a moment's hesitation. Perhaps it was the emotions that were running through him, and maybe he hadn't even meant it, but he had said it. He reached out his hand without thinking.

Sesshomaru frowned; the half-breed was correct; nothing was right anymore. He shouldn't have done what he just did.

Inuyasha sat there in shock, rubbing his forehead where his half-brother had unceremoniously _flicked_ him. For a split second, he thought he had seen humor flash through the demon's cloudy eyes before he had frowned. He was about to question the reasons behind it, but Sesshomaru spoke before he could.

"Fool. I'm not dying."

He stared at him for a minute, and supposed his reasoning behind the odd abuse was to wipe the weird emotions off of his face, which he succeeded in quite quickly. Though he was thankful he had managed to suppress his strange feelings in the span of twenty seconds, that hurt. He glared, not harshly, but enough to show him his disdain for his approach.

"Sick as a dog and you're still trying to beat me up."

The demon sighed mentally at that. Trust him to come up with something that insulted his strength and his lineage in one breath.

After throwing a few more rather weak insults at each other for good measure, Sesshomaru finally accepted the water he was handed after Inuyasha made a comment about not wanting to go through another day of forcing him to drink. Quite unsettled by that statement, the dog demon became silent after he finished the cup, trying to keep the hanyou's meaning out of his head.

He didn't have long to concentrate on keeping the idea at bay before a sudden spasm of coughs wracked his body. He suddenly felt heavy, and his head spun. He must have used up what strength he had regained.

He swayed until a pair of hands caught him, and he glanced over in the direction of his sibling. Having his vision already as cloudy as it was, he gave up trying to see through the web of his own hair as well. His body was forcing him to close his eyes anyhow.

"You should lie back down."

He didn't have a chance to reply as his body forced the rest of him to relax. His brother's voice becoming distant with each word, he figured his consciousness was failing him as well.

Inuyasha sighed as he rested his body on the blanket beneath him. He was out again before his hands even left his back.

"You overworked yourself. And you call me a fool."

Inuyasha rubbed the spot on his forehead once more.

Instead of pondering over what his brother's thoughts truly were, the hanyou returned to the door and glanced out at the rain as it fell from the heavens. No doubt it would hold the two up in their search, at least until it stopped.

Before the rain had started, he had gone to the edge of the forest to see if there were any signs of the group or his other companions. He had stood there until it had started, hoping they would return sooner rather than later, and he would have stayed out longer if it weren't for the fact that he never liked being out in the rain if he could help it.

He let his eyes wander in the direction of the forest once more before he turned his back on the door, resigning himself to return to the area of the hut he was currently using to respite.

"_They just have to return with her, then everything will be fine,"_ he thought as he sat down and closed his eyes to rest.

* * *

**sorcerousfang: darnit. Do you think this ending feels as rushed as I think it feels?**

**Sesshomaru: I was awake! You promised me I would wake up, and now I'm unconscious again! You promised!**

**sorcerousfang: ...he's not listening to a word I'm saying...**

**Sesshomaru: I heard everything you said, liar. **

**sorcerousfang: I didn't lie; I kept my promise.**

**Sesshomaru: But I'm unconcious again!**

**sorcerousfang: I never said you would stay awake. If you hadn't noticed, people who almost knock on death's door don't normally wake up and stay awake until three chapters later.**

**Sesshomaru: ...damn you. Hey, wait! Three chapters!? How do you have enough material for three more chapters!?**

**sorcerousfang: the human mind is endless my friend.**

**Anywho, sorry for the cliffhanger back there, but you know me by now. ^^ I'll try to update a little faster, but I have no idea what's really going to come in the next chapter...oh, wait, maybe I do. Ah, well, in any case I'll try to speed it up so creeper is happy.**

**Sesshomaru: I am not a creeper!**

**sorcerousfang: hehe ^^ And to make you guys happy as well. See you next chapter!**

**P.S. Don't worry about-**

**Sesshomaru: I am not a creeper!**

**sorcerousfang: hey, this is my P.S. get out. -boot-**

**Don't worry about the next chapter ^^ I've been struck with inspiration. Jya ne!**


	9. Found

**Disclaimer: wow. You still think I actually own this? If I did, it would be the best Christmas present ever! ...In my dreams...**

**sorcerousfang: Merry Christmas!!!!!!!**

**Sesshomaru: ...Yeah, that still doesn't make up for, what, six months of NOTHING!**

**sorcerousfang: well, sorry! Bad summer, bad start to school, bad...stuff.**

**Sesshomaru: You mean you just had homework.**

**sorcerousfang: ...yeah, basically. And people issues. LOTS of people issues.**

**Sesshomaru: ...you're not a people-person, are you?**

**sorcerousfang: Why do you think I write?**

**Sesshomaru: Good point.**

**sorcerousfang: Yeah. So, sorry it's really late. I really did get loaded with homework, and for a while I had some computer issues, but it's here now. Just in time for Christmas, too! So enjoy while it's here!**

* * *

A scream echoed through the forest.

Jaken shot up as he recognized where, or rather who, it was coming from, and gripping his staff tightly, he raced as fast as his short stature would allow him. Fear that Rin was in some kind of danger he could not handle coursed through his veins like he had plunged into an ice-cold lake.

Lake…Of course his mind would liken the situation to a lake.

He shook off the thoughts and memories that came with that comparison and tried to focus on where he was headed instead.

./-/-/-/-/-/-/.

Rin stumbled backwards on her hands and backside, scooting across the ground, trying, but failing, at getting away from the menacing eyes staring at her. The bushes shook slightly as the creature moved, and she screamed again.

"Master Jaken! Help me!"

In her mind, however, she was screaming for her lord to find her so that she wouldn't be in this situation again, and they could all be together again. She didn't want to be without him anymore. She missed her protector now more than she had before.

The bushes rustled again, and she shuddered as she realized she couldn't move. Whether she was frozen in fear or frozen because of the demon in front of her, she wasn't sure, but the fact was she was dead unless Jaken or Sesshomaru got there in time, and the odds of either of them reaching her seemed minimal at best.

Her eyes somehow were able to shift away from her death-bringer and to the trees, and she managed to gasp through her frozen lungs when her eyes took in bright red. Brighter than it ought to be.

Her so-called bird-friend was glowing, eyes fixed on her and unblinking. One thought shot through her mind at the sight of the strange bird, and it scared her more than her impending doom. Somehow, she knew the bird was the reason she couldn't move. Somehow, her 'friend' was aiding in her demise.

Rin felt tears staining her cheeks. Her trust had been betrayed.

The bushes trembled again, bringing her attention back to the creature that would kill her. She tried to scream again, but her voice was gone. She couldn't utter a sound.

…

…

…

_Mew!_

"…mew?"

Rin blinked.

Out of the bushes, a small, cat-like creature crawled out, shaking leaves and droplets of water off of its creamy coat. It blinked its red eyes back at her, as innocent as a baby, and with a slight tilt of its head, mewed once again in delight.

Rin managed a blink again, then realized she could move once more. She shifted her gaze back to the bird; it was gingerly cleaning its feathers, no longer glowing.

"_Did you want me to be found by this cat…?"_ she wondered silently before returning her gaze to the two-tailed feline. _"…Wait, where have I seen you before?"_

A smile stretched across her face as she put a name to the face of the innocent demon. She wasn't in danger. Quite the opposite; she now had more help. Finding the cat that traveled with her lord's brother meant Inuyasha was nearby, and if she told him what happened, surely he would help find Sesshomaru, right? They were brothers after all. And if he refused, Kagome could get him to help anyway.

As she reached out to pet the feline, Jaken chose that moment to burst out of the bushes behind her, brandishing his staff to protect her even though his eyes were embodied with fear and apprehension. A moment later, and he realized she was no longer screaming and seemed rather relaxed. Scratch that, she was happier than ever. His shoulders dropped in mild disappointment.

"Don't scream for help if you don't have a reason to, girl!" he reprimanded her coldly.

"But I thought I was in danger, Master Jaken," Rin replied smoothly, ignoring his change in attitude and putting it off as something spawned from his shift from extreme worry to finding he wasn't needed anyway. "Then I realized it was Kirara. You know what this means, right, Master Jaken? Kagome and everyone can help us find Lord Sesshomaru!"

Jaken's attitude took another dramatic shift as he took that in. Before he could voice his thoughts about it, however, another voice that belonged to a third party reached their ears.

"Kirara?"

As two figures came out of the bushes, Rin found herself crying.

She never thought seeing the demon slayer and monk would make her so happy, but because a sense of relief had finally come over her after five long days, almost six now, she didn't care that she was.

The demon slayer's eyes caught them, and a relieved smile broke across her face.

"We found you."

Jaken, on the other hand, looked slightly unhappy. Brandishing his staff once again, he planted himself between Rin and the two travelers. His lord disliked conversing with these people; he would remind them of that.

"What do you two want?" he questioned with a rather blunt hint of distrust in his voice. He planted his feet firmly as he positioned his staff, ready to attack. He failed to consider what Rin would think of this, but his reaction was somewhat of an automatic response to any conversation with the half-breed's friends.

"Lower your staff, Jaken," the monk urged him, "we mean no harm. We were sent to find you."

"Sent? By whom?!" the imp shot back.

"Sesshomaru."

That single word sent silence among the small group, save for the sound of the raindrops making their way to the forest floor. Sango nodded to assure them that they had heard right, and she assumed by their reaction that they knew exactly what kind of fight he had gotten into before they were separated.

"…Lord Sesshomaru…? You know where he is?" Rin asked slowly, as if she could not believe everything had suddenly become so right. She watched Sango nod again, and her tears followed the rain to the ground. She was so happy, she didn't know what else to say.

"You found him?!" Jaken asked. He was crying as well, his large eyes watering more than Rin's. He dropped his staff like it suddenly weighted fifty pounds, and uncharacteristically ran up to wrap his arms around the monk's leg, all the while asking incoherent questions through his sobs. Miroku gently shoved him off, understanding his relief but paling under Sango's humored gaze.

Sango shook her head slightly at Miroku's reaction -it _was_ rather amusing- and kneeled in front of Rin. As she wiped the tears from her face, she smiled, trying to reassure her that everything would be fine, even if she wasn't so certain of his condition herself.

"Is Lord Sesshomaru okay?" Rin asked when Sango moved her hand to her shoulder. She didn't like the way her face fell as she tried to answer that, and horror clawed at her thoughts harder the longer it took for the demon slayer to speak.

"He was in bad condition when we left," she started. She wasn't going to lie to the girl, but she felt horrible as she watched fear shadow the child's face. "But he's in good hands. Kagome won't let anything happen to him."

Rin couldn't keep up a strong face anymore. Now that she knew Sesshomaru was really hurt, she couldn't help but blame herself again. It was all her fault he had to battle the water creature in the first place. If she hadn't gone over to the water…

Another hand found her shoulder, and she looked up through teary eyes at the monk staring down at her.

"I'm sure once he knows you're alright he'll feel much better," he attempted to comfort her. He could recognize the pain in her eyes, and knew she was blaming herself. For what, he wasn't quite sure, but his heart ached watching her wring her sleeves with her hands. "I promise he'll be okay. He just needs to rest for a little while."

Rin nodded, wiping the lingering tears from her eyes. When rain drops were the only droplets staining her face, she turned back to pick up the sticks she had dropped before. They were a little wet now, but she could still use them. As much as she wanted to run to her lord now, she knew the best thing to do was to wait out the rain so she didn't catch sick. The last thing he would need was for her to be ill while he was hurt. The last thing _any_ of them would need was for her to be ill.

Sango came up beside her to help with the load.

"Do you know of a place to get out of the rain?"

Rin nodded, adding a small smile to her features in an attempt to remove the worry from the kind demon slayer's face.

"It's over this way. We left Ah-Un to protect it while we looked for firewood."

Rin, and a still somewhat reluctant Jaken, led them to the towering pine tree. The thick boughs were high enough to allow room for them to stand, and dense enough to keep the rain out. In the few minutes it took them to reach the shelter, the droplets became much larger, collecting other droplets from the leaves on the canopy above them. Rin set the meager sticks up to create the fire, and Jaken (after what might have been a short argument with Kirara) lit it with the staff. They made themselves as comfortable as possible, and soon an awkward silence fell between them.

Curled up net to Ah-Un, Rin feigned sleep. She was having all she could do right now to keep her mind from racing and to quiet the little voice in the back of her head. Her lord had been hurt. Well, she knew he had been hurt before, but being told he was in bad condition by someone they, under normal circumstances, would not normally converse with seemed to have roused up the little voice she had once before managed to silence. Fear bubbled deep in her chest. She didn't want to dwell on the implications those words brought with them; 'bad condition' sounded more like 'might not survive' the way the demon slayer said it, the way she hesitated. She was so afraid now.

She was crying again.

Ah-Un grunted, making its concern for her known. One of the heads turned to nose its way into her buried face. She placed a hand on its nose, trying to shove it away before it stuck its tongue against it. Rin squealed.

"Ah-Un! That's gross!" she reprimanded the dragon quietly. It whined incredulously, attempting to shift her guilt elsewhere. She gently patted the dragon's side, telling it she was fine.

"Are you okay, Rin?" Sango asked from across the clearing. She knew the girl had not been sleeping. No one worried about a loved one could fall asleep that quickly, no matter how tired they were. She would know; she had many sleepless nights thinking about Kohaku.

When Rin didn't answer, Sango stood and slowly made her way over to where she and the dragon lay. She waited until the dragon seemed to accept that her approach was meant for good intentions before she sat down beside her. Instead of trying to rouse the girl, she told her her own story.

"I worry about my little brother every day. I never know if he's okay, or if he's been hurt, or if he's sad. I haven't seen him very much lately, and when I do, he can't speak to me. You see, Naraku has him in his grasp, and he's been using him to get to me, to hurt my friends. Every night, I think about what we used to do together, back when everything was okay, and then I blame myself for not insisting that he stay home from the mission that destroyed out entire clan. If only I had realized how frightened he was before, I could have talked to our father about it. I feel like it's my fault."

She paused to suppress her own tears.

"…Lord Sesshomaru saved me, and that's why he got hurt," Rin whispered quietly. "If I hadn't gone so close to the lake, he wouldn't have had to fight. Lord Sesshomaru is hurt because of me."

Sango turned to her, smiling sadly.

"It isn't really our fault, though, and yet we can't help but blame ourselves."

Rin sat up then, finally willing to be open about her concerns. Sango pulled her into a comforting hug as she cried, and Rin didn't hesitate or reject her actions. She rubbed her back for a short while until the girl's sobbing slowed to a gentle flow of tears. When Rin began to pull away, Sango just smiled down to her, letting her lift her head to face her.

"Will Lord Sesshomaru really be okay?" she asked. All of the fear and sadness she had experienced since being separated from him was now so apparent in her eyes that Sango had to take a breath before she answered to keep from crying herself. She reached out and wiped the tears from the child's face.

"I'm sure he will be fine, Rin. Kagome has some very potent remedies that work wonders on wounds and poisons, and Inuyasha went away for a better antidote. You know Sesshomaru; do you think he would let something like a petty demon take him down?"

Rin shook her head, smiling a little. Her lord would be very angry should he have lost to a mere water creature. They tied, right? Well, he would probably still be pretty angry about that.

"See? You know he'll be alright. You just have to trust him."

Miroku took that moment to chime in something from the other side of the clearing. He hadn't wanted to interrupt their conversation before, since Sango was doing so well getting the child to open up, but now that he happened to think about it, he did know something that would please the girl to what he hoped would be a great degree.

"Sesshomaru asked for you, Rin. At least, that is what Inuyasha told us. He said Sesshomaru must have been worried about you, so he sent us to find you."

"Lord Sesshomaru asked for me?" she questioned incredulously. Not that she didn't believe that they were close, but she never really believed him to worry about anything, including herself. The monk's words were comforting and confusing all at the same time. Even though he was hurt, he was still asking if she was okay?

"He did," Miroku continued. "I believe you are very important to him, Rin. Most demons at his rank wouldn't think twice about a human, but you seem to have found a place in his heart from what little we've seen. You're a very lucky girl."

Rin couldn't help but allow her smile to grow.

"Lord Sesshomaru saved my life," she began, intending to start from the beginning to give them a better idea. "My family was killed by bandits, so I was an orphan. This village let me stay in an old hut at the edge of the town, but no one really liked me. I suppose it was because I didn't talk, and they thought I was strange.

"I found Lord Sesshomaru in the forest one day. He was really hurt, so I tried to help him. At first, he tried to scared me away, but I didn't want to just leave him there, so I kept coming back. He wouldn't eat the food I left for him, or drink the water, but he didn't seem angry that I kept coming back. Some of the other villagers caught me stealing fish for him, so they beat me as punishment. All I could bring to him was some roots then. He still didn't want my help, though, but he asked where my bruises had come from. It was the first time someone cared enough to ask since my family died. He said he was just curious, but I couldn't help but smile. I think I confused him."

Sango and Miroku watched her smile bigger than they remembered ever seeing her. Aside from that, they were slowly reworking their image of the cold-hearted Sesshomaru into something a little more compassionate.

Rin's smile suddenly faded.

"I came back to the village after that, but everything started to go wrong. A thief was in my home, and he was chased down by wolves. Then their leader sent them on the villagers. I remember running from the wolves. I know I was running to Lord Sesshomaru. …I know I didn't make it.

"I don't remember much after that, but the next thing I knew I was waking up in Lord Sesshomaru's arm. I didn't know what had happened at the time, but Master Jaken explained to me later that Lord Sesshomaru had brought me back with the Tenseiga. Since then, he got me new cloths, helped me learn when I can talk and when I shouldn't, and he's kept me safe. He told me I can trust him. Not directly, of course, but in his own way."

To Sango, Rin suddenly seemed much older than what she really was. Perhaps it was because of her association with a rather intelligent and powerful demon, but her eyes seemed older, her words more wise than a normal child. She smiled sadly; tragedy can do that to you.

"…You know, I think part of what is keeping him down right now is that he's worried about you, Rin. Once he sees you, I'll bet he'll feel much better," Sango assured her. "When I was worried about my brother, and I was hurt, it took me a lot longer to recover than usual."

"…You really think so?" Rin asked, sounding slightly confused even though she was smiling.

Sango nodded assuredly.

Rin turned around to pet the dragon, thanking both heads individually for worrying about her and telling them that she would be alright from now on. Sango was amused by the way she interacted with the beast. Then again, she figured the way she understood Kirara was generally the same. She smiled at the thought, reaching over to stroke the feline's fur as she curled up next to her.

The child's words rang a few bells in her head that she chose to ignore for now, and she held back the fact that Rin had once met Kohaku. She figured the girl had enough to deal with for now. She could ask questions later.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight," Rin admitted as she settled down beside the dragon for a second time.

"That's okay, Rin. Just try to rest a little while. As soon as this rain lets up, we'll head out," Sango reminded her.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Rin smiled before closing her eyes and gently falling asleep.

./-/-/-/-/-/.

"Are you sure, Mieko? I mean, I can still wait -"

The woman raised a hand to silence her.

"You've done enough for now. Go soak in the springs with the other girls. Your bones need it more than mine at this point, being up and about the way you've been over this demon friend of yours."

Kagome smiled and bowed several times to her, thanking her profusely before gathering her towel and a clean change of clothes and rushing out the door. She passed Inuyasha on the way - he was returning from his look-out at the forest's edge - and explained to him that she would be back shortly. He smiled lightly, surprising her, before returning to his route to the hut.

She contemplated how worried he still was about Sesshomaru. Since last night, he seemed to have changed his attitude a bit, what with his strange smiles and being away more than usual. She frowned in thought until she collided with someone else's shoulder.

"Oh, sorry there, Lady Kagome," Hiro apologized as he helped her up. "Wasn' watching where I was goin'"

"Oh no, that's fine, Hir - I mean Headman." She smiled as he glanced away shyly.

"Hey, now, I'm still Hiro to you, Lady Kagome. I am forever your lackey."

Kagome laughed and shook her head.

"Not lackey. Good Friend," she corrected him. "How's the new title treating you?"

This time Hiro shook his head.

"It's gonna take some getting used to. Where are you off to?"

"Two words. Hot. Springs."

Hiro laughed. "'Bout time. Well, hurry up. I wouldn't want to be in those woods alone. Of course, you I shouldn't worry about…"

Kagome smiled and waved as she hurried along. When she got far enough away from him she shook her head again. In a way, the man's actions reminded her of Hojo. She couldn't help but wonder if the guy was holding back some feelings for her.

Instead of pondering on the possibilities, she rushed to catch up with the group of girls that had gone ahead of her. Most of them were older than her, maybe two or three were close to her own age. She had never talked with any of them before now, so she stayed back, heeding the nervous voice in the back of her head. For what it was worth, she wouldn't have cared if they ignored her in full, just so long as she got at least ten minutes in the water.

By the time they reached the trees, she could hear them whispering among themselves, and she was pretty sure they were talking about her. If the hushed exchange ahead of her didn't give it away, the glances in her direction did. She avoided them once they reached the springs, more intent now on getting the soothing relief the water would give her than hearing what they were saying. She removed her clothing and set them beside her towel at the water's edge. Pausing to finger the bottle around her neck, she decided against taking it off and pulled her hair back before easing her way into the water. She couldn't risk any lingering demons snatching it up while she relaxed.

She had finally settled against a large and rather comfortable rock when on brave soul approached her.

"Umm, Lady Kagome, am I correct?"

Kagome opened her eyes against her better judgment, and found herself staring at one of the young girls in the group. She was rather red in the face, although she wasn't sure if it was just from the heat of the water or otherwise, and her brown eyes kept glancing away toward the trees, never quite resting on her own. Kagome smiled to make her feel more comfortable, which made the girl relax a little.

"Yep, that's me. Did you need something?" she asked, stretching her limbs and letting the heat flow into her sore muscles. It felt so good to feel them relax; felt like ages since she had been able to do that.

"I just…well, I wanted to know if…"

Kagome smiled lightly as her voice trailed off.

"If all of the little rumors were true?" she ventured, to which she was rewarded with a nod. "Well, I'm not sure if all of them are since I haven't heard them all myself, but…"

She had to pause as she watched the girl's face light up. So maybe she wasn't being shunned.

She shook her head.

"Yes, we are nursing a demon back to health," she confirmed. _"Nursing? What is he now, a child?"_ that little voice asked her. She ignored it. "He's a friend of ours…sorta…well, okay, on normal circumstances, he'd probably chose suffering over being cared for by us, but we can't just let him die, you know?"

The girl nodded, and Kagome welcomed the sincere look in her eyes. It was nice to have some people in this time who somewhat understood her reasoning.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked. _"My god, what am I doing…?"_

"Of course. Is it about the demon?"

"Well, yeah. You see, you know who Inuyasha is, right?" The girl nodded so she continued. "Well, he and the demon are…well, they're half brothers, but they don't really get along, so it's kinda awkward…"

And from there, she just let everything out. All of the tension and the weirdness of it all, she just let all of her worries melt away with the tension in her muscles. For the first time in nearly a week, she was finally relaxing. Finally.

./-/-/-/-/-/-/.

"Rin, the rain's stopped."

She opened her eyes to meet Jaken's large ones, and jumped up from her resting position against Ah-Un. Sango had already put out the fire, and Miroku smiled down at her in reassurance.

She looked up at the sky, or what she could see of it anyway, and was surprised to see that the rain had lasted through the night. Sunlight was finding its way through all of the leaves and down to the forest floor. She ventured out from under the pine tree, glancing around to see the forest. It was almost like she was seeing it for the first time, the way everything seemed to fall into place. Nothing jumped out at her, no shadows picked at the corners of her eyes.

She was going to see Sesshomaru today. Everything was going to be fine. She was going to be safe again.

She smiled.

"Ready to go, Rin?"

She turned back to Sango and smiled wider than she had in the past week.

"Yes!"

She made sure everything was secure on Ah-Un's saddle before something in the dragon's eye caught her own. She stroked the heads to figure out why, and when the dragon grunted in response, her face fell slightly. She looked up to Sango and Miroku who had watched the short exchange.

"Ah-Un can't fly out here. There's not enough room because of all the trees," she interpreted for them.

The two exchanged looks with each other before Miroku seemed to come up with a solution.

"Well, there are less trees by the river. Why don't we walk over there first, then we can find a place big enough for Ah-Un to take off," he suggested. Rin nodded and grabbed the dragon's reigns, leading them in the direction Miroku and Sango were now taking.

They walked for nearly an hour before the trees began to thin out and the sounds of the water flowing down the river entered their ears. Rin wanted to run ahead, just so she could speed up the process. She wasn't sure if she was nervous or excited; all she knew was that she wanted to know that her lord was okay.

She let her hands slip from the reigns as a flash of red caught her eye again. She'd nearly forgotten with the suddenness of everything.

The scarlet bird was back.

She heard her name being called behind her, but she didn't stop. Not until she could see the river. Not until she could see the bird.

When she broke through the tree line, she froze. Not like she had the first time when the bird had led her to Kirara, but out of shear surprise. The bird was perched on a stick jutting out of the river, trapped between a couple of large stones. It cocked its head to the side, making Rin smile.

"Did you come to say goodbye?" she asked quietly. It fluffed its feathers in response. "…Thank you for everything, then."

It called out in its brilliant song before launching itself off of the stick and into the air. Rin followed its path up into the sky, right up until the bird just disappeared. It blinked right out of existence, as if it had never been there in the first place. If Ah-Un hadn't noticed it too, she might have believed it wasn't.

She smiled, both sad and happy at the same time, before her eyes fell back to where the bird had been sitting.

Funny.

It didn't really look like a stick.

It _really_ didn't look like a stick.

…Sticks usually weren't shaped like swords.

Rin gasped before running up to the rocks it was wedged between, carefully balancing on the large stones and grabbing hold of the familiar sheath. Slowly she slid it out of the space and hopped back to the bank with the large sword in tow. Though the blade was longer than she was tall, she hugged it to her chest as she ran back toward the rest of the group. They broke the tree line just as she reached it, and she held out the sword in triumph.

"It's Lord Sesshomaru's other sword! I found Tenseiga!"

Miroku looked more relieved than the rest of them for some reason, but Rin was far too happy to care. Everything was falling back into place. Her world that had suddenly fallen apart was being fixed right before her eyes. Everything was becoming _right_ again.

She didn't hesitate to jump on Ah-Un's back with Jaken as Miroku and Sango climbed onto Kirara after she transformed. She smiled as they leaped into the sky, and cried when it finally hit her that she was going to be reunited with her lord.

"_I'm coming, Lord Sesshomaru. Please don't worry anymore."_

_./-/-/-/-/-/-/._

Sesshomaru opened his eyes.

"…_Rin?"_

* * *

**sorcerousfang: so there you go. Hopefully I can get chapter ten up by, oh, Februray?**

**Sesshomaru: If you're going to leave me alone for another two months, I swear, I am leaving.**

**sorcerousfang: Hey, Sesshomaru.**

**Sesshomaru: What?**

**sorcerousfang: See that door over there?**

**Sesshomaru: Yes...?**

**sorcerousfang: See the seals around it?**

**Sesshomaru: ...I hate you.**

**sorcerousfang: Love you, too, fluff-ball.**

**Again, sorry for the unintentional leave. I know you guys have really been looking forward to this. I can't promise this won't happen again, but I'll try my best. School just likes to get in the way of this kind of stuff.**

**This chapter kinda feels rushed to me. The Kagome part was basically filler, but I hope it was nice to see her get a brake. I made her work hard in this story, ne?**

**Thanks for staying with me! Merry Christmas (or whatever you may celebrate at this wonderful time of the year)!**


	10. Interlude

**Disclaimer: …Do I **_**look**_** like Rumiko Takahashi?**

**Sorcerousfang: I feel really bad about leaving this for over a year. Lots of distractions and whatnot. I'm really sorry, everyone. I really haven't abandoned this. I'm just dealing with a lot.**

**Sesshomaru: Sorry my foot; liar.**

**Sorcerousfang: I haven't forgotten about you either, Mr.**

**Sesshomaru: Of course not. By the way, not coming back was a wonderful Christmas present for the next year.**

**Sorcerousfang: Do I sense a hint of sarcasm, O lord of the fluff?**

**Sesshomaru: I'm going to kill you.**

**Sorcerousfang: Yep. Sarcasm. Good luck with the killing me thing. Glad to see you, too.**

**Sesshomaru: …**

**Sorcerousfang: And thus, he realizes that if I were dead, he wouldn't get Rin back, nor escape from the confines of my little fanfic hole.**

**Sesshomaru: …**

**Sorcerousfang: Anywho, this might be a little shorter than previous chapters, but I wanted to get it out there so you guys would know I still exist.**

* * *

Kagome found herself almost wishing the stupid demon was still unconscious. If he had been, she would not have to deal with his surprisingly childish and grumpy attitude.

"Be happy I'm not sticking a thermometer in your mouth, Sesshomaru. You can deal with my hand on your forehead for thirty seconds," she scolded, trying to check his fever and finding he was about as stubborn as Inuyasha was when it came to having someone help him.

Her own flare of frustration finally had him shifting his gaze to his lap - he did not think he _wanted_ to know what a thermometer was - and resigned to allow her to continue her care. A delicate hand stretched across his forehead, cool and soothing despite his qualms about it being there in the first place. He caught himself relaxing into it, eyes closing while he waited. She was so much cooler than he felt…

By the time he realized that he was far too comfortable under her touch, her hand was gone, leaving the skin cool for merely a second before he felt the rush of fever take it over once again.

"Well," she started, disappointment obvious in her voice, "you still have a fever, albeit much less of one than you had initially. I'm sure you've realized this by now, but your body seems to be focusing on the poisoning you got rather than your wounds. I'd say a few more days and you'll be healing normally, but until then you're staying put."

The glare he had formed earlier returned to his eyes. It was bad enough the blow his pride was being dealt needing their help in the first place, but to top it off she was ordering him around like a mother scolding a defiant child. He wasn't dumb enough to go stomping off in his current condition; the orders were completely unnecessary, and coming from a human, just an insult.

"Here," she continued, holding out a bowl of the foulest smelling tonic he'd ever encountered. "We'll do two doses again today and see where you are tomorrow with your fever. And don't give me that look; I'll force it down your throat if I have to," she added, matching his own look with one of pure authority.

Considering his lack of strength at the moment, he considered her threat wisely. With help from Inuyasha, she might actually accomplish that, so he snatched the bowl from her hand and downed the medicine quickly. He couldn't quite keep the look of disgust off of his face, but found that she was waiting with a full cup of water in her hand. They exchanged their dishes without a word, and he tossed it back to get rid of the taste.

"See. That wasn't so bad," she commented dryly, indicating that she would have much rather done without his lack of cooperation.

"You're not the one taking it," he shot back uncharacteristically before tipping the cup back for the last bit of water. Gods, he was thirsty now.

Inuyasha shook his head. It was strange to see the way Kagome interacted with Sesshomaru now, not to mention the demon's own reactions to her care. He was finding his brother to be a bit more amusing than annoying as of late, and told himself to remember that a wounded Sesshomaru made for a slightly sarcastic Sesshomaru, if not a bit more welcoming to be around. Even though it was obvious he was annoyed by the whole ordeal…actually it was _because_ he was obviously annoyed that Inuyasha was finding him to be interesting company. On a good day, the demon managed to show a bit of anger off when they fought, or sick sarcasm that was more demeaning that he liked, until now. Every emotion from disgust to confusion had flitted across his face in the last few minutes alone, making Inuyasha rework some of his ideas about his half sibling.

He was definitely looking better as the hours passed; more glares from his now brighter eyes, fewer involuntary grunts of pain, the scent of fever diminishing. His face was still a bit flushed and he didn't seem to want to move around much yet, but it was progress as far as he was concerned.

As for Kagome, the hanyou was finding himself admiring her abilities. The way she took charge right from the beginning, her patience and grace while working, her knowledge of medicine that he had otherwise taken for granted, all of it was coming out in a way he had never noticed before. She had certainly grown from the time she had released him from his seal, no longer just the strange girl from the other side of the well.

His thoughts were interrupted by the question Kagome shot in his direction.

"Should I make some ramen for lunch, Inuyasha?"

He was sure he had reacted a bit more than he would have wanted Sesshomaru to see, because he agreed faster than he could blink. The sound of ramen was a welcome meal to curb his hunger for a while though, which made him completely disregard Sesshomaru's wonderfully colorful stare as he shot off to dig through Kagome's over-sized bag.

Kagome suppressed a laugh, instead turning to the demon next to her.

"Are you hungry?" she questioned, figuring she should offer just in case. "I have plenty. It's just noodles and broth, really, but it's Inuyasha's favorite."

He shifted his eyes away from Inuyasha's poorly contained excitement to meet her gaze. His stomach churned uncomfortably; apparently the prospect of food was less than appealing to him, though it would probably help him regain some strength. 'Noodles and broth' was a rather vague description, though, so he decided to wait and see what it looked and smelled like, and how he felt later about food.

"Not now, no," he answered, then frowned, though he was far more tempted to smirk with his next words resting on his tongue. "That swill did well to rid me of any appetite."

It had the effect that almost had him smirking.

"You…" she started, red-faced with a bit of frustration. "You're just damn lucky we didn't leave you in the river, you ungrateful dog."

Opposite effect took precedence over his intended effect, and he found himself glaring. Jaken had called him that once, he remembered, though not to his face. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of something to shoot back at her at the moment, because Inuyasha had returned with two deep, white bowls in his hands, and a highly amused look on his face that rubbed his nerves the wrong way.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome, grinning madly.

"Since when did you loosen up your mouth, Kagome?" he snickered, handing her the bowls. "Thought you said you wouldn't stoop to the 'language of common thugs'."

The way he dragged the last few words of that sentence had her decidedly more red. She snatched the bowls from his hands and sent him a meaningful glare, which suddenly had him nervous and unsettled. Sesshomaru watched with sudden curiosity. What had the hanyou backing up slowly?

"SIT."

Sesshomaru nearly jumped back as Inuyasha was pulled to the floor with such force that the whole house seemed to shake. He had to take a minute to wipe the wide-eyed look off of his face, and found his gaze shifting back to the girl. No wonder the hanyou's emotions flipped so suddenly.

"I suppose you really _don't_ want any ramen, huh, Inuyasha?"

He lifted his head quickly, shock written across his wide eyes.

"Aw, come on, Kagome! I was just pointing out that you were acting different!" he shot back.

"I have every right to!" she countered, then pointed an accusatory finger at the demon next to her. "You try taking care of _him_ for a week! Not to mention a hoard of demons and one annoying ringleader wonderfully disguised as the innocent little headman that decides Sesshomaru's a good target!"

Sesshomaru glared. Now she was blaming _him_?

They continued to argue as he pondered on her other words. He'd heard nothing of a demon hoard or of the things that had transpired while he had been unconscious (sleeping, he corrected. Sleeping sounded better.). What did she mean someone decided he was a good target?

"Look, I'm sorry," Inuyasha finally grumbled, now sitting across from her, arms crossed defiantly, but looking apologetic all the same.

She huffed, then relaxed, sighing as she set the cups aside.

"I'm gonna need water for these," she reminded him. His face seemed to light up, and he bounded off with the pot to fetch it. She turned to him after a moment's thought, sighing again. "I shouldn't have brought you in to that," she apologized. "It's not your fault; I'm just stressed, although far less than I was now that we can be sure you'll be okay."

He found himself nodding in acknowledgement, but wondering why she had been stressed over his condition. Granted, he still couldn't figure out why they took him in in the first place. It wasn't like they were friendly with each other - far from it! - or that they had aided each other outside of pure accidents. There wasn't much reason for any of them to be helping him so much, and yet here he was, right under the girl's (Kagome, Kagome, he reminded himself) watchful eye.

And then there was also the matter of that hoard he knew nothing about, and voiced as such.

"Oh," Kagome said, blinking as the question registered in her mind. "Well, I mean, it wasn't really all that bad. The headman of this village just turned out to be some demon, and he happened to let some of his friends know you were indisposed, so…"

"You said _hoard_," he reminded her. "Hoard implies many."

"I'm well aware of what it means," she huffed. "Okay, so there were a lot of demons. But we managed well enough. Miroku and Sango were here, too, but Inuyasha had gone to get your medicine, so we made do without him."

He stared at her for a moment before making a sound that might have been a sarcastic laugh.

"You expect me to believe _you_ protected me from a mass of demons?"

"And some of us villagers, too, don't forget," the woman behind Kagome added, nodding firmly. "You used to be out at the edge of the village, young man. That little hut was destroyed, and _you_ were in it, mind you."

Eyes widened a bit as her words set in.

"Yeah, be a little grateful," the fox kit jumped in, hesitation lost with the added voices of his companion and the other woman. "I'm the one who protected you when the demon blew the place up."

He ran to hide behind the girl as soon as their eyes met, but he knew truths and lies when he saw them in a child, and the kit was not being false.

They had gone up against a hoard to protect him, on top of the care they were already administering. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He couldn't think of a single damned thing to say.

"You're wounded, and as far as I've been told, you're not a mindless demon looking for his next meal," the woman added, smiling like she was not speaking with a demon. "That's plenty enough reason to help someone, demon or not."

"And do you really think we could let anything happen to you knowing how Rin would react?" Kagome threw in for good measure, just in case he still had a reason to argue. And he had, up until that moment. Now his mouth closed against his words, a thin line as he was suddenly dropped in thoughts he had been distracted from.

Rin was still out there, and he could not do anything about it. He could not even remember what had happened, exactly, let alone if she was hurt before he ended up here, or how long he had been unconscious between the time he battled the thing and when Inuyasha had said they had found him. He was useless, and she needed him…unless she was already…

"…Are you worried about her?" Kagome asked quietly as she noticed the change in his eyes. Glassy, like he was viewing something she couldn't see.

He did not acknowledge her question at all, and for a moment she thought he hadn't heard her. Then he closed his eyes tightly, like he was frustrated or angry.

"I can't remember," he admitted uncharacteristically, opening his eyes again. "Little pieces from the beginning of the battle, but then nothing. I don't even know what happened."

In other words, he was worried.

Mieko came up beside her, then, tapping her shoulder and asking without any words if she could address the situation herself. Kagome nodded, moving to her left to make space.

"Can I give you a little insight, Sesshomaru-san?" she asked, and he looked at her, slightly surprised, as if the prospect of another human actually comfortable around him was strange and shocking.

"…What insight can you, a human, offer a demon?" he retorted after a moment.

"Experience."

The simple answer made him blink, confused, it seemed. Whether by her lack of hesitation when addressing him or because she had blatantly ignored his insult, Kagome could not be sure, but Mieko had succeeded in capturing his attention.

"My husband left on a trip with merchants few years back. Just going a few towns o'er, but he died 'fore he got there. Knew he was dead 'fore the news even got back to us," she explained, and he was listening, Kagome noted. "My point is that you know when someone close to you is gone forever. You feel it right here," she added, deliberately poking the center of his chest, which had him slightly wide-eyed. "It's an emptiness far different from being worried 'bout someone who is simply away from you, and I don't think even demons are immune to that feeling."

She had him, Kagome realized, because his eyes took on that glassy look again. But it was different this time, sad even, and that worried her. As he was now, he'd been showing emotions left and right that she had never seen on the demon's face before, but sadness hadn't been one of them. It _shouldn't _be one of them.

Before she could act, Inuyasha rejoined them with a contrastingly happy look on his face. It dropped almost immediately upon taking in the situation, and he immediately hung the pot over the fire pit and came around to the demon's other side.

"Hey, Sesshomaru, snap out of it," he called, shaking him gently. He gave no reaction for a moment, so Inuyasha called him again, shaking him just a little harder. Then he blinked, the look receding, and it seemed he finally found reality again.

Sesshomaru had to take a moment to remember that it had been two hundred years since he had found Tenseiga hanging from a placard on the trunk of the two-thousand-year old magnolia Bokusen-oh. He remembered that day, so long ago now it did not seem possible. Sitting next to a tree, thinking about the words his father had left him with before heading off into battle against mere humans. He could question his father's choice of words when he returned from that woman.

He knew the feeling the woman described. Deep and resonating, interrupting all of his thoughts was the sharp feeling in his chest, like his heart was pounding, threatening to burst open. He was entertaining thoughts of a conversation with a man who he suddenly realized was currently dead. His father, the strongest demon, the strongest being he had ever known, would never have such a conversation with him because he was gone.

Dead.

No, Rin was not dead. Rin was very much alive, because he did not feel _that_.

So he nodded, confusing Inuyasha but earning a relieved look from the two women. Kagome smiled, trying to get the hanyou to stop questioning what had happened. She spared him glances of flitting concern as he watched, but otherwise said nothing to him. He wondered briefly whether she had discovered what had crossed his mind, but she was up and fixing the fire before he could find out.

The woman sitting next to him now gave him a meaningful look as the other two became distracted over the strange white bowls.

"I brought up something, didn't I," she stated more than asked. She was quiet, as if she did not believe he wanted an audience anymore, and he found that somewhat comforting. Why exactly, well he could only pin that on his current condition.

"…It's not important," he found himself answering, voice just as low.

She smiled again, though sadly this time, and he looked away. Pity; he hated it, and here he was surrounded by it.

"But you know she's alive," she added.

A nod was apparently all she needed to see before she turned her attention to the food Kagome was preparing. He simply watched for a moment, just observing the three (no, four. The kit was still there.) as Kagome explained to the woman what 'ramen' was. Inuyasha tried to tend the fire while they were talking, but in his haste brushed against the black pot. Recoiling and remarkably able to hold back the yelp that seemed desperate to escape, he glared down at the pot, then at the kit as he made a smart remark. The swift knuckle to the young fox's head caught Kagome's attention, and she mediated by threatening the S word, which he assumed was 'sit'. Inuyasha backed down with a grumble, reluctant to be thrown to the floor a second time, and the child snickered like he had just won the greatest of battles.

It was remarkably relaxing, he realized.

Just observing, one would not know they were battling a cunning foe in the background. They seemed so…normal? Not quite the word he was looking for, but better than nothing to describe their appearance with. He could have walked in on a small family in their daily routine. The presence of the monk and demon slayer probably would not change anything, either. Perhaps it was merely because they had traveled together for so long, or that their goal was common. They were a strange mix of people, anyone could come to that conclusion, but they also seemed to blur the lines between their differences without even trying.

Even Inuyasha, a hanyou who knew nothing of kindness, nothing of security around humans or demons, was seamlessly sown into the lives of the group. He may not get along with the kit, may anger the priestess enough to have her subdue him, but he was comfortable with them, and they were likewise quite accepting of him. It was a far cry from how he viewed them while in battle. Yes, they supported each other like comrades would, but he had never seen them otherwise. It was not just a truce while they fought to defeat Naraku; they were closer than comrades.

It was…revealing, to say the least.

His thoughts traveled back to his own small group. Comrades they were not; Rin was not a fighter in the sense that she would never join him in battle (or should never. …Had she? Ugh, his head hurt trying to remember.), and Jaken, though he could fight, was not so strong that he could fight by his side for any length of time. Not that he would really allow him to. The dragon did well for providing for Rin, joining battle when necessary, but otherwise docile. They had no common goals, no real reason to walk in each other's footsteps, and yet travel together they did.

He had to wonder why.

He was comfortable in their presence. Listening to them talk was far better than finding noises in silence or his own thoughts, which were sometimes not so wonderful to find himself in. Jaken had an unnecessary attachment to him for what ever debt he decided he owed him, but he was not opposed to his following. It was interesting when he first started walking behind him, and he had to admit that he liked the idea of someone actually enjoying his presence, even if the feeling was not entirely mutual. Rin was far different. She was fragile, kind, and saw him through something entirely different than what lens Jaken viewed him through. She respected his power but not because she had witnessed it first. She had found him wounded, hostile (at least he had tried that route), but had brought him food and water instead of people to rid him from the world. He had saved her because she had intrigued him beyond anything that had ever caught his interest. And then she said his name. It had been a short time after he had retrieved her soul, and she had cleaned up, accepted the small yukata he had sent Jaken for with a smile, and returned from changing to properly thank him. Her idea of that had been quietly opening and closing her mouth for a quiet moment, looking down and back up, and then quietly as if she did not have any confidence in her voice, thanking him. He had taken several moments to register that the mute child in front of him had talked, then several more to register that she had said his name.

Perhaps, he figured, that was when he considered her as something he did not wish to lose. Like a father who would not stand to have his daughter taken from him, he could not entertain the thought of her voice ever leaving his ears.

He closed his eyes again, leaning back against the wall as his body began to demand that he sleep once more.

* * *

**Sorcerousfang: Hey guys. Like I said, short, but you needed to know I was still here. I will eventually mold this and the next chapter together, but not until I finish the story. Thanks for being patient, everyone!**

**Sesshomaru: …**

**Sorcerousfang: Thanks to you, too. You didn't destroy everything while I was gone ^_^**

**Sesshomaru: …You are most certainly a female writer.**

**Sorcerousfang: And what's that supposed to mean?**

**Sesshomaru: You write about feelings a man would never go through the effort of putting into words. Shelley's Frankenstein is a good example.**

**Sorcerousfang: Well I think it makes things more inter- hey, wait a minute. Since when do you know anything about Mary Shelley?**

**Sesshomaru: I had to do something while you were gone. Books keep piling up in the back, and I got bored. Reading some of these ridiculous fanfictions was amusing to an extent, but some are just madness.**

**Sorcerousfang: …oooooookay. We'll worry about the fact that everything was written in English later. For now, see you all next time!**

**Sesshomaru: Whenever the hell next time is…**

**Sorcerousfang: Oh, shut up.**


End file.
